New Study: Zoo Mammals Live Longer Than Wild Conspecifics

[Giant Panda]

A new study has found that 84% of mammal species (n = 59 spp. in eight orders) live longer in zoos than in the wild. The effect was especially pronounced in species with “fast” life histories, which typically have higher extrinsic mortality rates under free-living conditions.

Comparative analyses of longevity and senescence reveal variable survival benefits of living in zoos across mammals : Scientific Reports [open access]

 

[Jurek7]

Very interesting study. And expected, when we know how short animals live in the wild.

I think the real effect is even stronger, and most of the remaining 16% mammals live longer in zoos, too. The authors methods were such that longevity of long-lived animals was based on zoos from decades ago, with poorer husbandry practices, compared to short-lived species.

Longevity of wild mammals appears to be often calculated far too optimistically, due to e.g. picking study populations living in best conditions, overlooking some deaths as disappearance, excluding poaching and overlooking rare but big die-offs. It is e.g. unlikely that average lifespan of wild African elephants is 45 years, because most elephants in Africa were killed by poachers in the last 45 years. Or that average wild Asian elephant lives 60 years, which is close to the maximum possible age of elephants - elephants in zoos at that age have teeth so worn that they cannot eat normal food, although the diet in zoos is less rough. I find it hard to believe that chimpanzees live on average longer in the wild than in zoos, too.