Wild Camel Protection Foundation

International Stud Book, Management Plan and Genetic Testing

When there are limited numbers of a critically endangered species, and only a small number of them held in captivity, for example in zoos or in the wild Bactrian camel captive breeding centre in Mongolia, it is usual and best practice to establish an International Stud Book. In this way, all of the wild Bactrian camels in captivity are identified and an accurate genetic record is kept. As the Wild Camel Protection Foundation has the largest number of wild Bactrian camels in captivity and they are breeding naturally, we have decided to establish an International Stud Book. With the assistance of the Zoological Society of London and following the IUCN guidelines we plan to establish this by May 2007 and have it listed on the website.

Management Plan

In collaboration with the Zoological Society of London, the Wild Camel Protection Foundation is drawing up a long term management plan for the captive wild camel breeding centre at Zakhyn Us.

GENE POOL

The gene pool of these wild Bactrian camels because of the isolation and lack of interbreeding with domestic Bactrian camel, has a much greater diversity and a wider range of adaptability and capacity for random mutations. This gene pool with its unique diversity contains rich source materials for a number of scientific studies.

DNA TESTING

Samples of skin taken from the remain s of dead Bactrian camels have been sent to scientists in Beijing, Nairobi and Vienna for genetic DNA testing. The results have been remarkable.

Dr Pamela Burger and Katja Silbermayr from the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria have undertaken genetic and DNA research on the wild Bactrian camel This was organised by Dr Chris Walzer, formerly the director of Salzburg Zoo, who is now the Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarian at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.

The interim results of their work are very encouraging. Here are comments from a recent informal report given to the WCPF by Dr Pamela Burger:

The genetic work on the camel is not completed yet, it is now starting to become interesting. Katja found in her baccelor work two fixed differences between the wild and the dom estic Bactrian camels. That means we can now distinguish between them very exactly and even find a hybrid camel in a group of wild camels - If the =2 0 MOTHER was domestic Bactrian.

The differences are in the mitochondrial DNA , which is transferred only from the MOTHER to the offspring. For example, if a wild bull takes a domestic female into the wild herd, we can find them and their offspring.

We followed the maternal lineage until now and Katja is now starting to investigate the nuclear DNA (genes of mother AND father) with micro-satellites. With these nuclear DNA ana lysis we can investigate the degree of hybridization and the genetic diversity of the Mongolian and the Chinese wild Bactrian camels. She will do this for her doctorate over the next 3 years.

Katja Silbermayr has also sent a report of an address that she recently gave in New Zealand on wild Bactrian camel DNA. The relevant passage states:

‘the phylogenitic analysis clearly reveals that the wild Bactrian camel population differs genetically from the domestic Bactrian camel population. The knowledge of the genetic distinctiveness of the wild Bactrian camel sets the foundation of effective breeding programs and therefore provides crucial information towards the conservation of this critically endangered species.’

This is a highly significant statement and is of immense value to our work.