 |
Future Research
- Other Groups
Oral Contraceptives
Because of the need to inoculate animals twice the first year,
and the difficulty of doing this with wild species, research
is proceeding toward a "one-inoculation" vaccine.
Such a vaccine would permit a single darting to cause one
or more years of contraception. The approach under study incorporates
the PZP into a non-toxic, bio-degradable material which can
be formed into small pellets. The pellets can be designed
to release the vaccine at predetermined times after injection
(at one and three months currently) much the way time-release
cold pills work. Initial trials were encouraging and continued
trials are underway (see Eldridge et al. 1989).
Viral-Vectored
Contraceptives
Researchers working with the Australian government are seeking
to engineer the genes for PZP and similar contraceptive molecules
into non-pathogenic viruses. These viruses could then be transmitted
from animal to animal in wild populations. While there are
some attractive features to this approach, the safety, environmental,
and ethical issues associated with this technology will raise
strong objections from the public and regulatory agencies
in the U.S., and it probably will never be used here (see
Robinson et al. 1997).
Abortifacients
At least two research groups are seeking to administer compounds
which will cause abortion in the recipient animals. This has
already been shown to be feasible in deer, but we are not
pursuing this approach because of the social objections that
will attend this method of wildlife control.
|
|
