CORRELATION BETWEEN THE MARAL STAGS HORMONAL STATUS AND THE SPERM PRODUCTS QUALITY OBTAINED IN THE RUTTING SEASON

The purpose of research is to study the relationship between the hormonal status of stag deer and the quality of the resulting sperm production during the rut. Objectives: to determine the level of testosterone and cortisol in the blood of stag deer during the rut period and to study the relationship between the quality of sperm production and testosterone levels. Research was carried out in the Novotalitsk branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution FANCA (the Altai Region) in 2022. The object of the study were stag deer (n=10) aged 6–9 years with the elite, first and second class. The selection of bioproducts from stag deer was carried out in autumn during the rutting season, using a mobile machine for fixing the deer when semen was taken. Sperm was obtained by the method of electroejaculation according to the established regimens; before taking, a prepuce toilet was performed. Sperm was collected in sterile sperm receptacles, then its qualitative and quantitative assessment was carried out. At the same time, blood was taken to study the level of testosterone and cortisol hormones. The level of testosterone in stag deer ranges from 1.25–13.153 nmol/l, cortisol – 35.00–260.00 nmol/l. There is a change in testosterone levels depending on the class of animals. In stags of the elite class and the first class with a concentration of the hormone testosterone above 3.943 ± 2.20 nmol/l during the rut, an ejaculate volume of 3.5–7.0 ml is observed, sperm activity up to 9 points and a concentration of 700 million to 1.0 billion/ml.