L4: Ex-situ Conservation Zoos and Aquaria

Question 1

What are two approaches to conservation?

Answer 1

-In-situ
-Ex-situ

Question 2

What does in-situ mean?

Answer 2

Inside site

Question 3

What does ex-situ mean?

Answer 3

Outside site

Question 4

What are examples of in-situ conservation?

Answer 4

-Protected areas
-MTA’s
-Forestry
-Agricultural Land

Question 5

What are examples of ex-situ conservation?

Answer 5

-Zoos
-Aquaria
-Botanic gardens
-Gene/seed banks

Question 6

What should a modern zoo consist of?

Answer 6

-Accredited (AZA)
-Qualified staff
-Focus on animal welfare
-Conservation
-Not for profit

Question 7

What arguments are there against zoos?

Answer 7

-Ethics
-Expensive
-Hard to preserve genetic variability
-Zoo populations may show genetic adaptation to artificial environment
-Zoo populations may not learn behaviours needed for survival in the wild
-Entire captive populations may be lost due to closure of institute or catastrophic event

Question 8

What are arguments for zoos?

Answer 8

-Reduce the need to collect individuals from the wild
-Support research on basic biology of species
-Control over breeding to prevent inbreeding
-Supporting specific life-stages by increasing survival or reproduction
-Contribute to reintroduction or augmentation of wild populations
-Educational and public awareness programs

Question 9

What are examples of species that were extinct in the wild but were kept alive in captive populations?

Answer 9

-Pere David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus)
-Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha)
-Przewalski’s Horse (Equus caballus przewalski)

Question 10

Why was Californian Condor populations declining?

Answer 10

-Declined in 1970s
-Habitat loss
-Illegal hunting pesticide
-Lead poisoning

Question 11

What did the San Diego Zoo do in 1987?

Answer 11

Captured all remaining Californian Conders for a controversial captive breeding program.

Question 12

When was the reintroduction programme for Californian conder?

Answer 12

1988

Question 13

What were the results of the Californian conder breeding programme?

Answer 13

-Costs $2 million per year
-561 conders in total, 347 in the wild and 214 in the captivity (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
-Full lead ammo ban in 2019 - a full recovery of the population expected

Question 14

How many animals are maintained in zoos worldwide?

Answer 14

More than 3000 species of mammals. bird, reptiles and amphibians

Question 15

What does ISIS stand for? (ZOOS)

Answer 15

International Species Inventory System
-Now called Species 360

Question 16

How many species are in the Species 360?

Answer 16

Provides information on more than 22,000 species at around 1000 zoos and aquaria in 40 countries

Question 17

What is artificial incubation?

Answer 17

-Offspring of captive animals may be cared for by humans during early life
-Encourage production of more young
-If mother does not care for young or if young are vulnerable to predators or disease
-Successful with sea turtles, birds, fishes and amphibians
-Eggs are collected and placed in ideal hatching conditions
-Hatchlings are protected and fed during their early stages and be released into the wild or raised in captivity

Question 18

What is cross-fostering?

Answer 18

-If animal mother cannot raise its young, foster parents from another species can sometimes raise the offspring
-Endangered Wolf Centre 2018
-Critically endangered Mexican wolf pups born in captivity were fostered out to two wild packs

Question 19

What is another example of animal cross fostering?

Answer 19

-Barbary lion reared with help from domestic dog
-only 90 individuals in captivity, extinct in the wild
-First Barbary lion born in captivity in Belfast zoo in 2007
-Cub rejected and reared by zookeeper
-Cub introduced to Keepa, a Japanese Akita dog to ensure it learned animal behaviour

Question 20

Was the fostering of the Barbary lion successful?

Answer 20

-Cub was moved to Czech zoo in 2009
-Mated with Simon the lion
-Twin cubs born in 2010, 2012 and 2013
Single cub born in 2018

Question 21

Describe artificial insemination

Answer 21

-Animals in captivity often lose interest in mating
-Zoos have small populations
-Artificial insemination may be needed to successfully breed
-Techniques must be tailored to species of interest

Question 22

Describe embryo transfer.

Answer 22

-Females are given hormone treatment to super-ovulate
-Eggs collected and fertilised with fresh or frozen sperm
-Surgically implanted into mother or surrogate mothers of same or related species
-Successful in rare species such as bongo, gaur, Przewalski’s horse
-Frozen embryos can also be transferred

Question 23

What does ACRES stand for?

Answer 23

Audubon Centre for Research of Endangered Species

Question 24

What is ACRES?

Answer 24

-Frozen zoo
-Contains skin cells, sperm, eggs and embryos of 500 animals
-75 species
-Preserves genetic diversity of species
-Stored at -225 degrees with Liquid Nitrogen

Question 25

Describe reproductive cloning.

Answer 25

-1999, endangered African wildcat embryo was implanted in a house cat, Jazz was born
-2003 1st successful cloning of African wildcat, Jazz was cloned to produce Ditteux
-2005 Cloned wildcats breed and produced two litters naturally
-Ultimate aim to transfer these techniques to wild in-situ populations

Question 26

What does SAFE stand for?

Answer 26

Saving Animals from Extinction Programme

Question 27

What happened to Audubon Nature Institute?

Answer 27

-Zoo, aquarium and insectarium
-Had combined research labs and 1200 acres of natural habitat
-Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans
-Substantial destruction
-Audubon lost all revenue
-600 employees laid off
-Loss of most fish in aquaria
-Highlights the vulnerability of zoos to catastrophes

Question 28

What is the use of Aquaria for conservation?

Answer 28

-Traditionally for display of fish and marine mammals
-Now more important for conservation
-600,000 individual fish are maintained in aquaria, most from the wild
-Prominent role in cetacean conservation

Question 29

Describe the Georgia Aquarium, in Atlanta.

Answer 29

-100,000 individuals, 500 species
-World’s largest aquarium
-Whale Sharks, Beluga whales
-Planned to open shark exhibit in 2020
-Conservation programmes for species
-Bottlenose dolphins
-Corals
-Sea lions
-Sharks and rays
-African penguins

Question 30

Describe Beluga whale conservation

Answer 30

-Georgia Aquarium partnered with NOAA and others to study Beluga whales in Alaska
-Studies nutrition, pollution, foraging techniques and vocalization
-Provide staff, funding, handling methods
-Attempt to contribute to beluga captive breeding programme through import of 18 Russian individuals captured in the wild
-Blocked by US Fisheries service
-Difficulty of breeding in captivity (stillbirths)
-May 25th 2020, Calf born in captivity

Question 31

What does NOAA stand for?

Answer 31

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Question 32

Describe the Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology

Answer 32

-Breeding programme for critically endangered Yangtze River finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)
-5th July 2005, world’s first captive Yangtze river finless porpoise born in China’s Wuhan Baiji Conservation Aquarium
-Continued success with breeding programme