Studies on Some Biochemical Constituents of Mithun Semen

The Mithun (Bos frontalis), a semi-wild animal, which is yet to be fully domesticated, is mainly confined in India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and hilly tracts of China and Malaysia. In India it is only found in the hilly tracts of four states of North Eastern India namely Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, in descending order of population. Mithun plays a significantly important role in the socio-economic and religious life of the people of this region living at an altitude of 2700-3000 meter above sea level [1]. It is very much important to know the biochemical constituents of seminal plasma of normal bulls as any alterations in its normal concentration may reflect some abnormalities in genital system. Moreover it will help in conducting future research activities related to semen processing and conservation. Till date no report is available on biochemical constituents of Mithun semen. In our earlier papers we described detailed collection procedure and characterization of semen collected by both massage and artificial vagina method in Mithun bulls [2,3]. Now, we wish to report on some seminal biochemical constituents, in this valuable animal species.