A Bull Was Supposed to Be Infertile. Then He Sired Calves.

Rare reproductive case earns Alabama A&M veterinarian national recognition and delivers an important reminder about confirming infertility after reproductive surgery.

A reproductive procedure intended to permanently prevent a bull from breeding appeared to have done its job. Until calves started showing up. That unexpected outcome became the center of an award-winning case presented by Alabama A&M University veterinarian and Extension specialist Dr. Felix U. Samuel at the 2026 Therio Conference in Pittsburgh, where his poster earned second place in a national competition. The case, titled “Epididymectomy in a Braford Bull That Reattached and Sired Calves,” describes an unusual return to fertility following epididymectomy — a procedure designed to interrupt sperm transport. In this bull, however, continuity of the reproductive tract was apparently re-established after surgery. The animal regained fertility and went on to sire calves.

Surgery Doesn't Always Mean the Story Is Over

For veterinarians and livestock producers, the case carries a deceptively simple but important message: performing a procedure intended to create infertility does not necessarily prove that permanent infertility has been achieved.That makes follow-up particularly important when reproductive outcomes matter to herd management.Postoperative monitoring, breeding soundness examinations, careful reproductive records and further diagnostic investigation can all become critical when pregnancies occur unexpectedly.

The case also illustrates why unusual events in everyday veterinary practice deserve closer attention. What begins as a puzzling outcome on one livestock operation can ultimately reveal something useful to clinicians, researchers and producers far beyond that farm.

“Veterinary reproduction and theriogenology have been central to my academic and professional career,” Samuel said. “I am particularly interested in translating unusual clinical observations into knowledge that can improve reproductive management and decision-making on livestock operations.”

From a Farm-Side Mystery to a National Conference

Samuel's case was submitted through the Therio Conference's abstract and case presentation process before being selected for presentation and evaluated in the poster competition.The annual conference brings together veterinarians, researchers, residents, students, educators and specialists focused on animal reproduction and theriogenology. Samuel said the recognition helps bring attention not only to the unusual case but also to the work being done through Alabama A&M University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

“This recognition increases the national visibility of Alabama A&M University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in animal reproduction, livestock health and applied animal science,” Samuel said. “It demonstrates that the University's Extension and animal science programs are contributing knowledge to professional conversations beyond Alabama.”

The presentation was also a collaborative effort involving faculty from multiple veterinary institutions, including Dr. Jessica Klabnik and Dr. Jessica Rush of Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Miguel Saucedo of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Where Veterinary Medicine and Extension Meet

Samuel joined Alabama A&M in January 2024 and serves as the university's state animal science and forage specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. His work spans livestock health and production, reproductive physiology and management, small-ruminant production, forage and grazing systems and sustainable livestock agriculture. His academic background is heavily rooted in reproduction. Samuel earned a DVM as well as master's and doctoral degrees in theriogenology from Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria. He later earned another master's degree, concentrating in animal health, from Alabama A&M University. He also earned his veterinary license last year, further strengthening his ability to combine clinical veterinary knowledge with Extension work, applied research and student education.

An Important Lesson for Veterinary Students, Too

The case has another audience beyond practicing veterinarians and cattle producers: veterinary and animal science students. Rare cases like this demonstrate why clinicians need to do more than simply perform a procedure and move on. Careful observation, documentation, follow-up and a willingness to investigate something that doesn't make sense can turn an unexpected clinical result into valuable scientific information. The case also shows how veterinary knowledge develops in the real world. Not every important finding begins inside a laboratory. Sometimes it starts with an animal doing exactly what everyone thought it could no longer do.

Research With a Practical Goal

Samuel's current work extends well beyond reproductive medicine.His research interests include breeding meat goats for improved resistance to gastrointestinal parasites — a particularly important issue for small-ruminant producers in the southeastern United States.His broader Extension and research activities include reproductive efficiency, genetics and selection, sustainable parasite management, hoof health and lameness prevention, precision livestock technology, forage systems and producer education. But the common thread is getting scientific information into the hands of people who can actually use it.

“One aspect of my work that is particularly important to me is ensuring that science reaches the people who can use it,” Samuel said.

Whether that happens in a conference hall, a veterinary setting, a classroom or on a farm, Samuel sees the ultimate goal as the same: turning scientific knowledge into practical decisions that improve animal health, productivity and the sustainability of livestock operations.And in the case of one remarkably fertile Braford bull, that lesson started with an outcome nobody expected.