Okay, initial confession - when I first saw this article title, I totally thought "Algiers" as in Algiers, Algeria, maybe for breeding addax, oryx, and other endangered Sahelo-Saharan antelope. I thought, "Wow, I never really thought that conservation breeding was that big of a thing in Algeria, but who knew?" Plenty of zoos in Africa, after all. Then I actually got around to reading the article. My bad...
The site of the newest conservation breeding facility? Maybe next time...
Few resources are as precious to the modern zoo as "space." That is the one of the key factors in determining what species zoos will focus on caring for - do you have enough room for enough animals? Keeping healthy, genetically viable populations means having the space for all the animals needed; a typical breeding program may require a population of 200 or more animals to achieve stability. For many species - particularly antelope and other hoofed mammals, which tend to require lots of space with large groups - there simply isn't enough room in conventional zoos. This has led the AZA to create a network of breeding facilities dubbed the C2S2, or "Conservation Centers for Species Survival." These include the San Diego Global Safari Park (formally San Diego Wild Animal Park), The Wilds in Ohio, White Oak Conservation in Florida, Fossil Rim in Texas, and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, VA (affiliated with the National Zoo).
This month, ground was broken on a new facility in Louisiana, this one under the leadership of the Audubon Zoo and the San Diego Zoo.
Some of these facilities are open to the public - The Wilds, San Diego, and Fossil Rim - while others (including the planned Louisiana facility) are not. That isn't there primary goal. Instead, it is to provide designated space for species to reproduce in sufficient numbers to bolster zoo populations and make captive populations sustainable. Privacy helps - while some species of zoo animals breed readily in seemingly any environment (I'm pretty sure I could lock two lions in my spare room and have cubs within a few months), others require a calmer, quieter environment, away from the public eye.
Hopefully more of these institutions will develop over the years. Having several C2S2 facilities reduces the likelihood of a disease or other catastrophe (this one is in Louisiana, so let's just say it - HURRICANES!) wiping out a captive population. The more space, the more species can be saved, and that's the best news possible, both for the zoo and aquarium profession and for, well, everybody.
No comments:
Post a Comment