Which species would you be favor of capturing from the wild for capitivity

[gerome]

Which species do you believe should be captured from the wild for captivity? There are several reasons a facility might choose to do this, including conservation, education, population control, genetic diversity, popularity, species research , or medical research.

In your opinion, which species have a valid reason to be brought into captivity, and why?
also I am aware that some of these reasons overlap.

 

[Enzo]

Which species do you believe should be captured from the wild for captivity? There are several reasons a facility might choose to do this, including conservation, education, population control, genetic diversity, popularity, species research , or medical research.

In your opinion, which species have a valid reason to be brought into captivity, and why?
also I am aware that some of these reasons overlap.

Hello.

Most important of all, any endangered species with which in situ conservation efforts have proven to be less effective than ex situ breeding. Especially those with small numbers in captivity or those which need new blood.

I'm quite sure the hirola could fall into this category. They are very endangered and their population is close to a warzone (Kenya, near the Somali border). I'd say they are in dire need of a captive population.

 

[GaryA]

Soooo many, but the Island Rhinos-Sumatran AND Javan.

 

[Randomname0183]

The main issue with taking in wild species nowadays is that with a better understanding of their biologies and temperaments, it is easier to see lots of issues, and with many dwindling species with no captive populations it generally has to do with infeasibility in capture, transport, and husbandry, then coupled with paperwork. Hirolas were difficult to keep and aggressive from what I recall having read, and attempts at Insular rhino breeding where generally not as successful as hoped, leading to them being returned back to Indonesia.

If some form of ex-situ breeding was to be done, I feel it'd be most reasonable to do it with species or populations in their native ranges as to, say, in a facility across the world. If taking wild stock was to be considered, it would have to be well researched and from populations where taking a few animals could not cause irreversible damage to their gene pools.

 

[Pleistohorse]

Javan Rhinos. I imagine they would breed as well as the Greater One-horned Rhino.

Ethiopian Wolves. Striking species and would probably breed well.

Asian Cheetahs. Pretty certain they are doomed in the wild and I imagine, again, they would breed as least as well as African Cheetahs.

 

[SwampDonkey]

Mountain gorillas and Eastern lowland gorillas. Gorilla husbandry has come along so far since the 1980s.

Tapanuli orangutan. I realize that there are some or at least some mixes in captivity, but I would like to see more.

I would LOVE to see Javan and Sumatran rhino, but given the numbers available and the relatively recent spectacular failure of the Sumatran program I don't think the idea is realistic.

African forest elephants.

 

[Dassie rat]

Flat-headed cats. They are only kept in 1 zoo, but were kept in 17 zoos.

 

[Great Argus]

Hawaiian honeycreepers. There is already some decent captive success with a few species, and if some further assurance populations can be established that would be ideal. Even if they stay on the Hawaiian islands it's better than nothing if some assurance can be had. We've already lost so many of them, hopefully we can at least try to give those that remain a leg up. Expand San Diego's facility over there and get Honolulu Zoo involved too.

 

[Zoofan15]

Sumatran tiger:

Taman Safari has a breeding centre housing rescued wild Sumatran tigers (injured by snares and traps etc). Some are able to be rehabilitated/released; but while they’re at the centre, they breed.

The captive population held in European, North American and Australasian zoos was founded by a small number of founders and is becoming increasingly inbred. If wild Sumatran tigers or even first generation cubs born to wild parents as per above could be allowed out of Indonesia, it’d do wonders for the captive population.

 

[Sphenisciologist]

With the current state of the natural world and the trends that are and have been happening for decades, I honestly think it’s justifiable to capture any animal from the wild for any captive purpose assuming all the necessary living conditions are met, even if the species is least concern/stable. The reality is - most species today have a valid reason to need to be kept in zoological facilities. I feel that it’s happened too frequently where people dismiss a species needing to be kept in captivity because of how abundant it is, only for that species to succumb to extinction. The passenger pigeon is a good example I can think of, and while places like Cincinnati tried to keep them shortly before they went extinct, it had been too late at that point and there wasn’t enough viable individuals to keep the species going.
But if I were to pinpoint a few that come to mind - California condors for genetics, Rhesus macaques for medical value, wild boar for population control, any great ape/big cat for popularity, and then I’d say pretty much any animal can fall under conservation/education/species research.