rare species in zoos and breeding centre

Sneeuwpanter

Sneeuwpanter

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Should people catch the last remaining specimens of a species to make sure that it doesn't become extint. Say when the population ducs below 100. Breed them for zoos and as the population stabelizes reintroduce them to the wild. Examples :

Ethiopian wolf
Philippean Eagel
 
Sneeuwpanter said:
Should people catch the last remaining specimens of a species to make sure that it doesn't become extint. Say when the population ducs below 100. Breed them for zoos and as the population stabelizes reintroduce them to the wild. Examples :

Ethiopian wolf
Philippean Eagel
Click to expand...

Seems to have worked for California condor. It depends on the species though and how suited it is for captivity - for example there are several species that would die within days/weeks and obviously that isn't then a good idea to go for it, but if a zoo or several believe in all honesty there is a high likelihood they may breed some it must be worth a try.
 
Does anyone know what species would qualify. I must admit there is a part of me that just wants to see the rare species and this would justify that.

For example Burgers has just added two scalloped hamerheads to burgers ocean. They are caught in the wild against EAZA guidelines. Burgers justifies this by saying they want to examine the breeding habbits because the there is a lot of overfishing.

I also would like to see larger shark species. Like Tiger sharks, Oceanic White tips and the grand prize The Great White. But keeping those species would involve a lot of trail and error.
 
Javan Rhino said:
Seems to have worked for California condor.
Click to expand...

That is the example I was going to cite.

Ethiopian wolf numbers are relatively high - I think a few thousand at least. Still wouldn't mind seeing a breeding program for them.

In terms of saving the species when the numbers get really low, boy that is a very hard call. The ideal thing is to only pull some into captivity, not the entire wild population. But when you realize they are so desperate as to truly need a program, it can become a tough call. You need a certain minimum to have enough founders for captive breeding, but pulling that minimum could cause the wild population to crash.

The classic example is the iberian lynx. They made a compromise and pulled less than the ideal number of founders. Just enough to get a breeding program going with a reasonable (though less than ideal) gene pool and still leave enough to breed in the wild (though less than ideal again). It seems to be working, but only time will tell. If the Spanish and Portuguese authorities would have started a breeding program a decade earlier (when they knew full well how bad the situation was), it would have been much better.

Just no easy answers here. California condor and arabian oryx are great success stories, but there are also stories of failure, such as the sumatran rhino.
 
The Californian Condors were all brought into captivity when there was only about thirty left alive, and their protection in the wild could not be safeguarded. Had they been safe in the wild, they might not have brought them all into zoos.

:p

Hix
 
Each situation is different. As far as I can see, the main variables are the number of specimens remaining, the chances of that species reproducing well in captivity and the nature of the threat in the wild.
The programs initiated by the Durrell Trust to breed the Montserrat oriole and the mountain chicken in captivity seem to have been successful; they were started when volcanic eruptions threatened to destroy the island's forests. It is too early to say how well the in situ joint project with the Madagascar pochard, endangered by human activity, will fare.

Alan
 
Hi,

Try getting hold of a copy of "Last Animals in the Zoo" by Colin Tudge. He looks at the very subject of captive breeding and reintroduction. I have just finished reading it and found the arguments for and against taking animals from the wild to reintroduce once a stable population is established a fascinating read.

The book also looks at specific examples and include
Arabian Oryx
Golden Lion Tamarin
Red Wolf
Bearded Vulture
California Condor
Parrots (in a general way)
Hawaiian Goose
Wooley Monkeys

Unfortunately, it is out of print in the UK I had to order it from my local library but I am glad I did.

Regards
Rob
 
chieflx said:
Hi,

Try getting hold of a copy of "Last Animals in the Zoo" by Colin Tudge.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. Although a little dated now, it is an EXCELLENT book and covers many aspects of zoos and zoo-based conservation that most people are unaware of. Thoroughly researched and very well written.

:p

Hix
 
Another book I should have mentioned is "Ethics on the Ark". It is a collection of scientific essays on zoos and wildlife conservation but it includes a good section on taking wild animals for captive breeding including the Ethical considerations. Like the Tudge book it is a little dated (it was published in 1995) but I would still highly recommend getting/reading a copy

Cheers,
Rob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top