Comparison of different sperm cryopreservation procedures on post-thaw quality and heterologous in vitro fertilisation success in the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis).

Cryopreservation of spermatozoa from free-living ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) could benefit their conservation by facilitating gene flow between in situ and ex situ populations without requiring removal of additional cats from the wild. The objective of this study was to investigate three different methods of ocelot sperm cryopreservation to identify the most appropriate technique for use in a field environment. Male ocelots (n = 10), housed in North American zoos, were anaesthetised with tiletamine-zolazepam (7 mg kg(-1) bodyweight; i.