Innovations in Species Survival: Dr. JoGayle Howard, the National Zoo's "Sperm Queen"

Dr. JoGayle Howard: A Woman of Firsts
JoGayle joyously posed for the media at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in 1992, her hair being playfully attacked by the first clouded leopard born of artificial insemination. The birth, to a mom at the Nashville Zoo, was the result of years of collaboration between the two institutions.

JoGayle's intense focus on animal reproduction and her success at pioneering assisted reproduction techniques and procedures earned her the title of “Sperm Queen”; a nickname she relished.

Smithsonian Through and Through
JoGayle came to the National Zoo in 1980, after graduating Texas A&M University, as a veterinary intern. Over the next 3 decades she would leave an indelible mark on the science of theriogenology; the study of animal reproduction, including the physiology and pathology of the male and female reproductive system and the practice of veterinary obstetrics, gynecology, and andrology.

A Pioneer
"She was really the first woman scientist to have a goal of taking technologies developed for overcoming human infertility and applying them to species recovery on a large scale," Dr. David Wildt, who heads the Zoo's Center for Species Survival, told the Washington Post.

Back From the Brink
Black-footed ferrets were once declared extinct, until a tiny population was found in Montana in 1981. In 1987, as disease decimated this last population, the remaining 18 were captured for their own protection. A group eventually came to the National Zoo, where they were fortunate to encounter JoGayle.

Breeding for Reintroduction
These two kits were among the over 500 born under the care of JoGayle and her colleagues at the Zoo's Conservation Biology Institute.

The Frozen Arc
JoGayle developed methods of freezing semen of ferrets and other critically endangered species for long-term storage and later reintroduction into a population's gene pool. Every species required a unique protocol.

These two kits, born in 1997, were among over 150 produced using her artificial insemination technique, some with semen samples frozen and then safely thawed after 20 years or more. This allows underrepresented genes to reenter the living population.

Thanks to breeding successes like this, over 4,500 black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced to the wild since 1991.

Cracking the Panda Code
JoGayle's most popular and visible success may be the 2005 arrival of giant panda cub Tai Shan. As part of the Zoo's reproductive sciences team, JoGayle unraveled the mystery of the panda's unique breeding biology.

Timing is Everything
JoGayle and her team pioneered speedy techniques for monitoring fluctuating hormone levels in panda urine to precisely predict ovulation. Once the critical window of fertility is identified, the panda is artificially inseminated. The team's techniques have resulted in the successful births of more than a dozen panda cubs worldwide.

Dangerous Liaisons
In 2009, JoGayle was instrumental in developing behavior modification protocols to help circumvent the often violent interactions among highly endangered clouded leopards of Southeast Asia, resulting in the births of these two cubs at the Zoo's Conservation Biology Institute near Front Royal, Virginia.

Familiarity Breeds Content
Clouded leopards are elusive in the wild, but scientists say that perhaps less than 10,000 remain. Breeding them in zoos proved hugely problematic because the male would often maim or kill its partner.

A Legacy of Innovation
Dr. JoGayle Howard's innovations in the science of assisted reproduction have helped ensure a future for a number of highly endangered species; through her own scientific endeavors as well as the mentorships and international collaborations she wove together throughout her career at the National Zoo.
Her spirit lives on in the continued achievements of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, as well as animals like this first clouded leopard produced with cryopreserved semen, that owe their existence to JoGayle's breakthroughs.