WVU Alumni West Virginia University

WVU Alumna Horns in on Rhino Conservation By: Mandy Cutright

Monica Stoops has always loved animals. The adoration began as a child, citing dogs as her favorite. Coming from northern Virginia to attend college, her pet Labrador kept her company while she attended West Virginia University.

Graduating with a bachelor’s of science degree in wildlife and fisheries resources in 1995, she took her love of animals to a new level.

Stoops decided to continue with her education. After working with Keith Inskeep, a professor at WVU, he recommended a few institutions that he thought would suit her interests.

She applied and was accepted to the University of California, Davis, where she completed her master’s in animal science and Ph.D. in animal physiology. Stoops did her post-doctoral work at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden where she was then hired as full-time reproductive physiologist.

The work that Stoops does at the zoo requires some very hands-on interaction with endangered Indian rhinoceros. She leads the Indian rhino research and conservation project at the Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife. Her work involves writing grants, conducting research and publishing the research.

Much of her time has been spent researching and developing techniques for artificial insemination of the Indian rhinos. Because the rhinos can be naturally aggressive, they tend to fight when kept together in captivity. The goal was to produce rhino calves from frozen-thawed sperm.

Zoo workers had to develop equipment to artificially inseminate the females. They needed a tool to harvest sperm from male rhinos to deposit in the female’s uterus. They were able to devise the equipment and found a rhino that seemed like a good candidate.

Nikki, a female rhino at the Cincinnati Zoo was artificially inseminated with some help from Himal, a male from the Wilds – a private, nonprofit conservation reserve. It took four attempts before they were successfully able to impregnate Nikki. This was the first successful pregnancy by artificial insemination in an Indian rhino and the first from frozen-thawed sperm. While they were successful in impregnating Nikki, the calf that she delivered in January 2008 was stillborn.

Their work continues. Nikki was given some time and the researchers have done another insemination. They also are trying to impregnate Chitwan, another of their female Indian rhinos. “It is my goal to help both these girls become rhino moms!” Stoops says.

In addition to doing research, Stoops monitors female rhino cycles, ovulation and takes ultrasounds, among other things. “You have the research aspect and also the hands on interaction. It’s a unique experience,” she says about her work.

While Stoops continues to work with the rhinos, research has started with polar bears. Their reproductive cycles are being monitored and a means of diagnosing pregnancy is being developed so that zoos will know which female bears need to be denned up in preparation for a successful births.

Stoops began working with large animals, including elk and wild horses, while in California. She realized while attending WVU that she was able to do work and research with animals without going to veterinary school. Her favorite class was a reproductive elective that she took and was one of the main factors in leading her to the career she enjoys today. She says she was able to gain hands-on experience from professors and by working at the WVU farm. She also gained valuable knowledge and practice with scientific writing.

Because her parents have retired to the Morgantown area, Stoops always finds time to return to the city. She visits two to three times a year and makes time to take in a football game with her family, reminiscent of her time attending the University.

“I’m always proud to say I’ve been to school at WVU,” she says about her time at the University. “You get a good foundation for your next steps.”