Saving the Smaller Majority

When we think about zoos and conservation, we usually think of large, charismatic mammals, big colorful birds, and visually impressive reptiles.  Fair enough... that's where most of the attention has been for 99% of the history of zoos.  And most of that attention is still there.  Recently, we've been witnessing a slight shift, as big vertebrates have been making a little bit of room at the table for invertebrates.  Not a lot of room, mind you, but that's okay because they are small.

Compared to the American Big Three - California condor, red wolf, and black-footed ferret - it's easy to overlook another North American reintroduction program - the American burying beetle.  These fascinating little beetles, named for their habit of burying dead animals much larger than themselves, have disappeared throughout much of their range.  They were one of the first Species Survival Plans for an invertebrate launched by the AZA, and that program has already born fruit - of a squirmy, maggoty sort.  Beetles are now being reintroduced across their former range to try and reestablish the species.  This update comes from the Cincinnati Zoo:

In Florida, we're seeing the opposite trend.  Just as zoos had to scoop up the last condors, red wolves, and Arabian oryxes to save those species, so are zoos and aquariums rescuing colonies of stony corals.  The corals - which many people might not even realize are animals - are disappearing due to disease, and with them go the chances of survival for many marine species.  No one is giving up the fight to save them in their wild reefs, but zoos and aquariums - such as Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo - are at work establishing captive colonies, so that reintroduction efforts can take place in the future once the crisis abates.

There will always be places in zoos for big, imposing, beautiful/scary animals.  An Ark isn't complete with just it's most famous passengers, however.  Smaller, lesser-known species of insects, corals, and other invertebrates can be even more important to the well being of their ecosystems.  If we want to save wildlife and wild places, that means remembering the spineless little wonders, too.