An endangered species of donkey, the Poitou (pronounced pwa-too), originates from the same named place, the Poitou region of France. In the late 1970s, this breed of donkey fell in numbers to less than 40 males and females. A breed that was once used for mule breeding in the agricultural economy of France, the Poitou declined in demand and consequently breeding ceased.
Breeding an Endangered Species
Since then, work has been undertaken by different sanctuaries to increase the number of this endangered species. With numbers now increased, this breed of donkey totaled over 200 by 1995.
In 2002, Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital achieved an incredible task through their embryo transfer endeavours. Embryo transfer involves taking a 6 or 7 day old pregnancy from one equine and transporting the pregnancy to another horse for it to be carried full term. This may be done so that a good performance mare can keep competing and yet still have a foal born that is genetically hers.
Embryo Transfer and the Poitou Donkey
A couple by the name of Ron and Diane Condon became aware of the plight of this endangered breed and decided they would like to help. Issues arose when the jenny that was pregnant was considered unlikely to be able to carry the pregnancy full term due to leg problems.
The Poitou donkey is the largest of donkey breeds and so transfer of a pregnancy into a smaller breed wasn’t considered the most viable option. A larger horse seemed a more fitting possibility. However, donkeys and horses have a different number of chromosomes, meaning that transferring a pregnancy from a donkey into a horse should result in the body rejecting what it recognises to be something foreign.
Amazingly, this embryo transfer story proved to be a success, driven by a veterinary clinic that at the time was carrying out in excess of 150 embryo transfers a year. The gestational length for a donkey is in excess of a year, whilst the equine gestational length is around 345 days. The standardbred mare that carried the pregnancy was pregnant for 364 days in total, this gestation resting between the species' normal pregnancy lengths.
This incredible achievement shows the future potential of such reproductive technologies as embryo transfer. The cost of around $3,500 for a pregnancy may be considered a negative, but when comparing this with the potential of an extinct species, embryo transfer may have a lot to offer.
Sources:
Equine Embryo Transfer, Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital, Australia. Accessed February 7, 2012.
Poitou Donkey - the Donkey Sanctuary. Accessed February 7, 2012.
Rare Donkey Born Through Embryo Transfer in Australia - The Horse Magazine. Accessed February 7, 2012.
Chris Thomas - C. Thomas has studied and worked with horses since 2001. She teaches horse studies part time and is undertaking an Equine Science ...
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