This has been achieved through a combination of relocating groups of animals (to conservation organisations/sites in the UK) and through birth control; initially by implanting nanny goats with progesterone and, more recently, through the use of the
contraceptive vaccine Gonacon."
They added that the number of goats in the herd was controlled by using a
contraceptive vaccine.
This
contraceptive vaccine specifically targets gonadotropin-releasing hormones, which are important for reproduction.
The CDC traces the rumor to the 1994 publication of a report on a small clinical trial in India of a
contraceptive vaccine made of HCG and TT.
Recent advances in
contraceptive vaccine development: a mini-review.
Rutberg, director of Tufts University's Center for Animals and Public Policy, is leading a team that will inject a
contraceptive vaccine into female deer with the goal of reducing the population in the village of Hudson.
Animal trials on a male
contraceptive vaccine conducted at Universite Laval showed success, but the project failed to get funding for human studies.
IVT's first product was SpayVac, a
contraceptive vaccine effective in many animals.
O'Rand notes that investigators will need to answer several questions before testing the
contraceptive vaccine in people, such as why some of the animals develop high antibodies to Eppin and others failed to regain fertility after the shots.
The trials, in which bait was laced with
contraceptive vaccine, began two years ago.
(40.) Talwar GP et al., The HSD-hCG vaccine prevents pregnancy in women: feasibility study of a reversible safe
contraceptive vaccine, American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 1997, 37(2):153-160.
Recently, in Australia, medical researchers looking for an effective
contraceptive vaccine accidentally modified a mild "mouse smallpox" virus into an organism that killed their test animals.