Investigating semen quality in zoo-managed African elephants
Katie Campbell
Hello! My name is Katie, and I’m currently a Ph.D. student in the joint graduate program through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and For Elephants, Inc. I’m investigating the physiological, physical, social, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence fertility in male elephants for my dissertation.
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The fate of the zoo-managed African elephant population relies heavily on improvements in fecundity, and without adjustments, a demographically unstable population within the next 50 years is inevitable. Understanding the underlying causes of infertility in male elephants can benefit zoos across North America as well as the threatened populations living in African countries. This robust, multi-institutional study will result in new information regarding the factors that positively or negatively influence semen quantity and quality in African elephants.
My study population consists of 13 African elephant bulls housed in AZA-accredited zoos. Beginning in January 2023, I will be traveling to these zoos for data collection. Follow this page for my project updates, photos, and videos!
