Multi-year fertility reduction in free-roaming feral horses with single-injection immunocontraceptive formulations

CONTEXT: Contraception is increasingly used as a management technique to reduce fertility in wildlife populations, but the feasibility of contraceptive formulations has been limited until recently as they have required multiple treatments to achieve prolonged infertility. AIMS: We tested the efficacy and evaluated potential side effects of two contraceptive formulations, a porcine zona pellucida (PZP) formulation, SpayVac®, and a gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) formulation GonaCon-B™, in a population of free-roaming feral horses (Equus caballus). Both formulations were developed to provide several years of infertility with one injection. METHODS: Females were treated in June 2005 with either GonaCon-B™ (n=24), SpayVac® (n=20), adjuvant only (n=22), or received no injection (n=18). Females were monitored for fertility status year round for three years post treatment. KEY RESULTS: Both contraceptive treatments significantly reduced fertility for three years. Fertility rates for GonaCon-B™ mares were 39%, 42% and 31% respectively and 37%, 50%, and 44% for SpayVac® mares. During the same seasons, 61%, 67% and 76% of control females were fertile. We found no significant effects from contraceptive treatment on the sex ratio of foals, birthing season, or foal survival. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that both vaccines are capable of significantly reducing fertility for several years without boosters. IMPLICATIONS: Contraceptive vaccines examined in this study represent a useful tool for the management of feral horses, due to their being efficacious for three years in the absence of booster immunisationsThis research was funded by grants from the Nevada Arid Rangeland Initiative NOA15353CG, 110615253BS, 140115253BS, 140215253BS, Hatch Grant 13215353BS and a research grant from the Animal Behavior Society.www.publish.csiro.au/journals/w