Sustaining the Ark: the challenges faced by zoos in maintaining viable populations

Lees, Caroline; Wilcken, Jonathan

doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.2008.00066.x

Cited by 168 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…By the turn of the century, Noah's Ark seemed to have become irretrievably shipwrecked as the zoo community started to realize the limitations of ex situ (zoo-based) conservation as a prelude to in situ (field-based) conservation (Lees & Wilcken 2009). The vision of the zoo as a Noah's Ark has gradually given way to a new paradigm, the 'integrated approach'.…”

Section: Noah's Ark In Rough Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It outlines a much broader conservationist role for zoos, including research, training, education, awareness campaigns and direct support for in situ projects. In the latest strategy, the primary mission of zoos is to integrate all these elements with their efforts to protect endangered species and conserve healthy ecosystems Bowkett 2008;Lees & Wilcken 2009). Insofar as captive-breeding for reintroduction is considered necessary and appropriate, it should be accomplished as part of such a larger, integrated, holistic program (Hutchins 2003, 18).…”

Section: Noah's Ark In Rough Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Captivity for Conservation? Zoos at a Crossroads

Keulartz

2016

The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics

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Section: Noah's Ark In Rough Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Noah's Ark In Rough Watermentioning

confidence: 99%

Captivity for Conservation? Zoos at a Crossroads

Keulartz

2016

The International Library of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Ethics

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“…Many wild-caught animals fail to breed in captivity (Lees & Wilcken 2009). As noted above, this failure is often due to behavioral problems caused by inadequate husbandry techniques (Ralls & Meadows 2001, Ralls & Ballou 2013.…”

Section: Breeding Small Cetaceans In Captivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, many attempts to develop captive breeding programs for other terrestrial species have failed because the species has not survived or reproduced well in captivity (Lees & Wilcken 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for captive breeding of poorly known small cetacean species

Curry¹,

Ralls²,

Brownell³

2013

Endang. Species. Res.

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Because of the precarious condition of small cetacean species and subpopulations listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN, use of captive breeding for conservation has been suggested for some of them, and will likely be suggested for others. A successful captive breeding program for a new species cannot be implemented until reliable capture and husbandry techniques have been developed. Techniques for assisted reproduction and reintroduction may also be needed. We review attempts to capture, maintain, and breed poorly known small cetaceans and discuss assisted reproductive technologies (ART) that have been used to enhance captive breeding efforts for other small cetaceans. We conclude that the techniques required for successful captive breeding of most Endangered or Critically Endangered small cetacean species have not been sufficiently developed. Development of these techniques should begin before a species or population is Critically Endangered. In particular, ARTs tend to be species specific, necessitating considerable time, money, and research to develop for each species of concern. Critically Endangered populations cannot afford to lose the individuals needed for technique development. The fairly large captive population sizes necessary (to avoid loss of genetic diversity, inbreeding, and genetic adaptation to captivity), limited space available in aquariums, and high costs of captive breeding and reintroduction programs make it unlikely that captive breeding will play a major role in the conservation of most small cetaceans. The substantive conservation measures needed to prevent extinction of Critically Endangered small cetaceans is reduction or elimination of their primary threats, which are usually by-catch and habitat loss.

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“…A NUMBER of studies in the last years have discussed that many, if not most, captive populations of birds and mammals are not likely to reach sustainability and thus may not function as reserves for the conservation of species [1][2][3][4][5] . For example, the development of the European mammal populations since the 1990s -when many breeding and regional management programmes were startedis characterized by low or even negative population growth in many species and low effective population sizes 4 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards more individual-based and fitness-oriented captive mammal population management

Kaumanns¹,

Singh²

2015

Current Science

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Many captive populations of birds and mammals are not likely to reach sustainability due mostly to breeding problems. Identifying the conditions under which breeding problems and poor population growth are likely to occur and establishing more appropriate conditions, therefore, will be a necessary prerequisite for future successful conservation breeding and the long-term survival of captive populations. This article analyses the basic approaches and concepts of management programmes for captive mammals. It discusses and propagates an approach which might help increase the productivity of the populations and decrease the risk of viability problems. Evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation biology provide concepts that propose a critical role of the individual phenotype in the context of evolutionary processes, population development and conservation practice. It is assumed that this is not yet sufficiently reflected in the management of captive mammals and possibly other populations, thus contributing to fitness problems. A more individual-based population management that intends to focus on the 'quality' of the individuals and the individual phenotype therefore is proposed. Individuals have to be managed such that they are phenotypically represented in future generations.

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Sustaining the Ark: the challenges faced by zoos in maintaining viable populations

Cited by 168 publications

References 42 publications

Captivity for Conservation? Zoos at a Crossroads

Captivity for Conservation? Zoos at a Crossroads

Prospects for captive breeding of poorly known small cetacean species

Towards more individual-based and fitness-oriented captive mammal population management

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