Small Zoos, Big Impact

It wasn't a prank. On April Fool's Day, the Salisbury Zoo announced the birth of twin Andean bear cubs, born earlier this year.  The cubs would have been significant anyway - their father is the only wild-born animal in the US population, so his genes are very valuable.  What really makes this a crazy birth is how small the US Andean bear population is.  With these twins and their parents, tiny little Salisbury Zoo now has over one-tenth of the US population of these endangered bears.  The other significant breeder of the species is another small zoo (albeit one with bigger connections, being part of Wildlife Conservation Society), the Queens Zoo.

When people think about zoos, they tend to think of the bigger, more famous ones - Bronx, San Diego, St. Louis, National.  Those zoos are wonderful, and are very important in the conservation of species.  Their fundraising abilities are especially noteworthy.  It's worth remembering that a zoo doesn't have to be huge to have a big impact on conservation.  Bears might not be the best example - Salisbury and Queens have a single breeding pair each.  For smaller species (songbirds, snakes, marmosets), however, in which a zoo can house a few enclosures and a few pairs, a little zoo can have a tremendous impact, single-handedly driving that population.

Even if they aren't mega-breeders, small zoos can play an important role in holding animals for the big guys.  If they don't have the space or facilities for breeding, they can house juveniles who are too old to be with their parents, yet too young to breed, or animals which are past their reproductive prime and need a comfortable home to retire.  They can work with endangered local species that might be far-removed from the big zoos.  They can also provide education and inspiration about wildlife to communities without close access to big city zoos.

I've got a lot of appreciation for the good little zoos.  They're doing the same good work as the much-celebrated big guys - just on a scale that's more manageable for them... and usually a lot quieter.