Ejaculates were collected from male camels using an artificial vagina and diluted 1:1 (v:v) in Green buffer, before a total of 300x106 live sperm was inseminated into each female camel 24h after injection (i.v.) with 20µg of the GnRH analogue, Buserelin, to make them ovulate. Further ejaculates were collected, diluted in Green Buffer as before, and stored in an Equitainer (Hamilton Thorn, Canvers, MA, USA) at 4°C for 24h before insemination. While pregnancy rates of 50 ‐ 60% were achieved with camels inseminated with fresh diluted semen, the conception rate decreased to 25% in camels inseminated with semen cooled for 24h.

For embryo transfer, donor camels were treated with a combination of 2500 iu equine Chorionic Gonadotrophin (eCG) and 400 mg porcine Follicle Stimulating Hormone (pFSH). When the follicles had matured to between 1.3 ‐ 1.8 cm in diameter the camel was mated, and the uterus flushed, non–surgically, 8 days later. The recovered embryos were either i) directly transferred, non‐surgically, into recipient camels at day 6 after ovulation, ii) cooled in embryo flushing media for 24h in an Equitainer at 4°C before transfer or, iii) deep‐frozen using 1.5M ethanediol as the cryoprotectant and using slow, controlled‐rate cooling methods before thawing, rehydrating and transferring into recipient camels. A pregnancy rate of 67% was obtained after transfer of fresh embryos into day 6 recipients which was similar to that obtained after transfer of embryos cooled for 24h at 4°C (63%). However the pregnancy rate was much reduced to 32% after transfer of frozen/thawed embryos into recipient animals.

These results show that using assisted reproduction techniques it is possible increase the number of offspring from desirable genetic combinations.