MODEL RELEASED. IVF research. Researcher using a pipette to transfer sperm to a dish during mouflon in vitro fertilization (IVF). The mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) is a rare type of wild sheep found on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. During IVF treatment, oocyte cells collected from the ovaries of female mouflon are matured and then fertilized with preserved sperm from mouflon males. The resulting embryos are implanted into domestic sheep (Ovis aries) foster mothers. The first 'test-tube' mouflon was born in November 2000 at the University of Teramo in Italy. IVF may help to conserve the endangered mouflon by increasing its numbers and genetic diversity.