Artificial insemination success despite reduced post-thaw motility of cryopreserved semen in local rabbit breeds: Short communication

Cryopreservation of rabbit semen represents an important tool for the conservation of genetic resources; however, reduced post-thaw sperm motility may limit its practical application in artificial insemination (AI) programmes. The present study evaluated fertility outcomes following AI using cryopreserved semen from six local rabbit breeds selected to reflect biological variability under practical gene bank conditions. A total of 59 females were inseminated with heterospermic fresh or frozen–thawed doses standardised to approximately 0.2 109 spermatozoa per ml. Ovulation was hormonally induced prior to insemination. Cryopreservation resulted in a substantial reduction in sperm motility, with progressive motility decreasing from 52.6% in fresh semen to 23.7% after thawing and total motility from 75.2% to 42.7%. Despite this decline, conception rates remained high (85.3% in thawed semen vs 92.9% in fresh semen), and litter size was only slightly reduced (8.62 vs 9.25 kits). These findings indicate that cryopreserved rabbit semen exhibiting lower-moderate post-thaw motility can achieve high fertility under practical conditions and support its usability in genetic resource conservation programmes.