Preliminary results of a comparison between male gonads celioscopy and histological evaluation in wild raptor birds.

More studies are necessary to describe the anatomical and histological characteristics of wild raptors gonads and celioscopy could be a useful tool to macroscopically assess gonadal conditions. The aim of this work was to validate celioscopy as a technique for assessing the normal/pathological conditions of the male gonads of wild raptors, comparing celioscopic results with histological characteristics. The work was done at the ‘Centro Animali Non Convenzionali’ of the University of Turin, on 31 endoscopically evaluated raptors that died or were euthanized, perfectly agreed with the histology. Reproductive abnormalities were 2 testicular atrophy cases and one unilateral genesis; histology could obviously describe sub-clinical conditions undetectable at direct observation, and 2 inflammatory and 8 moderate fibrotic conditions were diagnosed. Our preliminary results suggest that celioscopy could be a useful tool both to assess gonadal functionality in wild raptors and for to select the better potential semen donors.