The cotton-topped, tamarin, Saguinus oedipus oedipus, is a species that is severely threatened in the wild. Thus, if its survival is to be ensured, a self-sustaining captive population needs to be established. However, the breeding results of cotton-topped tamarins in zoos are far from optimal; infant mortality is high and the fertility of captive-born specimens is critically low. The roots of both these problems may be sought in the social behavior of this species in zoos. In order to evaluate the influence of the zoo environment on behavior, a comparison is made between the behavior of a group of tamarins housed in a typical zoo environment and groups of successfully breeding cotton-topped tamarins housed off public display in the zoo. Significant differences were found between the behavior of the animals in the two different situations. Behavioral differences were correlated with the number of visitors in the zoo environment and with the design of the cage.

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Red pandas, Ailurus fulgens, are popular exhibit animals in zoos. It is clear from data in the global studbook that there is considerable variation in their breeding success in different zoos. Population managers have long suspected that environmental temperature plays a key role in these differences. It is generally thought that this species, which is so well adapted to life in the cold damp climate of the mid-altitude forests of the Himalayas, has a problem coping with warmer climates. However, this hypothesis has not been tested until now. Using data extracted from the global studbook, we have demonstrated that climate at the location of birth has a clear impact on the survival of infant red pandas.

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Scientifically based captive breeding programs are an essential prerequisite to the long-term preservation of exotic species in zoos. The data provided by studbooks form the foundation on which such a program can be built. In the following paper, information extracted from the International Studbook for the Red Panda (Ailurus fiZgens) is used to provide both demographic and genetic analyses of the current captive-born population and simulations of future trends in population structure. From the results of these analyses, conclusions can be drawn which are of importance to future captive management practice.