20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management
Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies can become overcrowded, and the colonies, landscape, and people affected by them may benefit from controlled populations. Contraception is a method that may be useful, particularly where lethal control is inappropriate or illegal. We investiga...
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doaj-528e33b2183a4891ba66d99719d369de2020-11-25T03:41:06ZengUtah State UniversityHuman-Wildlife Interactions2155-38742155-38742017-02-011110.26077/9ejy-x01820,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population ManagementPaul B. Nash0Carol A. Furcolow 1Kimberly S. Bynum2Christi A. Yoder3Lowell A. Miller4John J. Johnston5USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterUSDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research CenterBlack-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies can become overcrowded, and the colonies, landscape, and people affected by them may benefit from controlled populations. Contraception is a method that may be useful, particularly where lethal control is inappropriate or illegal. We investigated if oral administration of 20,25-diazacholesterol (DiazaCon®), an inhibitor of cholesterol and reproductive steroid hormone production, could reduce reproductive success of treated black-tailed prairie dogs in a fi eld trial. Ten treatments of approximately 45-mg DiazaCon per black-tailed prairie dog yielded a 47% reduction of young:adult ratios compared to control sites. Over a 3-month period, desmosterol, a cholesterol precursor used as an indicator of DiazaCon effects, was not detectable in any black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at control sites, whereas elevated levels were detectable in 33 of 35 blood samples from black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at treated sites. Average cholesterol levels were lower in treated animals than in control animals. DiazaCon administration may be a useful tool to control populations of black-tailed prairie dogs, especially in light of the desire for conservation while still managing populations. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol1/iss1/172025-diazacholesterolblack-tailed prairie dogcholesterolcontraceptioncynomys ludovicianusdiazacon®ornitrol®population controlreproductive inhibition |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Paul B. Nash Carol A. Furcolow Kimberly S. Bynum Christi A. Yoder Lowell A. Miller John J. Johnston |
spellingShingle |
Paul B. Nash Carol A. Furcolow Kimberly S. Bynum Christi A. Yoder Lowell A. Miller John J. Johnston 20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management Human-Wildlife Interactions 20 25-diazacholesterol black-tailed prairie dog cholesterol contraception cynomys ludovicianus diazacon® ornitrol® population control reproductive inhibition |
author_facet |
Paul B. Nash Carol A. Furcolow Kimberly S. Bynum Christi A. Yoder Lowell A. Miller John J. Johnston |
author_sort |
Paul B. Nash |
title |
20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management |
title_short |
20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management |
title_full |
20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management |
title_fullStr |
20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management |
title_full_unstemmed |
20,25-Diazacholesterol as an Oral Contraceptive for Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Population Management |
title_sort |
20,25-diazacholesterol as an oral contraceptive for black-tailed prairie dog population management |
publisher |
Utah State University |
series |
Human-Wildlife Interactions |
issn |
2155-3874 2155-3874 |
publishDate |
2017-02-01 |
description |
Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies can become overcrowded, and the colonies, landscape, and people affected by them may benefit from controlled populations. Contraception is a method that may be useful, particularly where lethal control is inappropriate or illegal. We investigated if oral administration of 20,25-diazacholesterol (DiazaCon®), an inhibitor of cholesterol and reproductive steroid hormone production, could reduce reproductive success of treated black-tailed prairie dogs in a fi eld trial. Ten treatments of approximately 45-mg DiazaCon per black-tailed prairie dog yielded a 47% reduction of young:adult ratios compared to control sites. Over a 3-month period, desmosterol, a cholesterol precursor used as an indicator of DiazaCon effects, was not detectable in any black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at control sites, whereas elevated levels were detectable in 33 of 35 blood samples from black-tailed prairie dogs trapped at treated sites. Average cholesterol levels were lower in treated animals than in control animals. DiazaCon administration may be a useful tool to control populations of black-tailed prairie dogs, especially in light of the desire for conservation while still managing populations.
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topic |
20 25-diazacholesterol black-tailed prairie dog cholesterol contraception cynomys ludovicianus diazacon® ornitrol® population control reproductive inhibition |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi/vol1/iss1/17 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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