30
INFLUENCE OF FACTORS AFFECTING SEX-DRIVE
[Vol. XXVI, Part II,
The normal reaction of the buffalo bull trained for artificial service is to show
sudden interest as it approaches the site of service as evidenced by hastened move-
ment and low bellowing. On reaching the dummy, the outer labia are licked. If
as a result of licking the dummy micturates as it normally does, the bull will sip
the outflowing urine and open his lips exhibiting the teeth in a characteristic pose
which is said to denote sexual excitement and pleasure. The exposure of the teeth
are accompanied by a slight to and fro movement of the head.
This is followed
by a pause or the initial process may be repeated once or twice. It then gets ready
to jump ; the back is curved and with everted penis it will jump over the teaser and
after exploring with the penis give a thrust where the penis finds the warm
lubricated surface of the artificial vagina. It then falls back and regains the
normal posture. The two characteristic poses of service are shown in Plate VIII,
Figs. 1-4 for bulls No. 23 and 25.
In our studies we observed the following variations : bull No. 25 for example
used to 'stroke ' the artificial vagina before ejaculation. It was also in the habit of
dancing, i.e. shifting the body weight in the mounted position alternately from
one of the hind foot to the other—a practice attended with danger to the operator,
who if not careful ran the imminent risk of his feet being crushed under the bull's
hooves. This habit also annoyed the ' dummy ' tied to the service crate which tried
to wriggle out. Finally, after giving the thrust, the bull would try to rest for some-
time on the hind quarters of the teaser (Plate VIII, Fig. 5) and would reluctantly
come down. A like tendency was noticed in bull No. 23 (Plate VIII, Fig. 6). Bull
No. 16 was the quickest to react. It never wasted time in the preliminaries, but,
on being led to the crate, immediately jumped and gave a thrust. The semen
quality of this bull was uniformly good, though the volume was generally low.
The bull No. 22 preferred to ejaculate in the standing posture (Plate IX, Fig. 1).
Similar behaviour pattern was also noticed in bull No. 37 ( Plate IX, Fig. 2).
Bull No. 36 was a noted fighter. All other bulls avoided him. When he was
tied in the crate as a teaser, the bulls refused service and showed a strong tendency
to be away from him which was natural enough. When bull No. 36 was tried on
one of the other bulls, at one stage instead of behaving normally he started ' butting'
the teaser and would have started attacking, if not timely controlled. No such
tendency was shown by him when females were in the service crate.
DISCUSSION
Milovanov and Smirnov-Ugrjumov [1940] were the first to draw attention to
the possibility of correcting semi-impotance and lethargy encountered in bulls by
suitable change of sexual stimuli. They found that a bull accustomed to mate
with black pied non-oestrous cow in an insemination shed, who refused service after
some time showed sharp temporary increase in sexual activity on being transferred
from the shed to the yard or when the non-oestrous cow was replaced by a cow on
heat or when a differently coloured cow was provided. Application of worm
wood to the non-oestrous cow with which it normally mated or the use of a dark
pied non-oestrous cow from another farm produced similar results. Through