What is the AZA Species Survival Plan Program?
Cooperative Endangered Species Captive Breeding and Management Plans
Oct 3, 2009
The new role of zoos and aquariums as wildlife conservation organizations has required a different approach to captive breeding and care of endangered species.
By developing Species Survival Plans for animals at risk of extinction in the wild, the best interests of the species are put ahead of individual facility interests.
Taxon Advisory Groups Develop Species Survival Plans for Endangered Animals
In the early days of zoo involvement in endangered species conservation, facilities operated independently of each other, often to the detriment of the species they were claiming to protect. By putting the wildlife conservation aspect of captive endangered species management in the hands of a team of experts, control of breeding and reintroduction programs improved.
Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs), made up of individuals with specialist knowledge of particular taxa, look at the issues involved in optimizing captive care and reintroduction programs for the species they know best. While it might seem on the surface that any endangered species in captivity should be bred for return to the wild, there are many things to be considered before a breeding program is begun. And even more issues surround the release of captive bred animals back into the wild. The members of the TAGs are well versed in these issues.
What the Species Survival Plan Program Does for Endangered Species
Once a plan is in place, all participating zoos and/or aquariums work together to ensure that genetic and health issues are examined closely before endangered species are bred in captivity. Preventing inbreeding or crossbreeding of subspecies that are geographically separated is just one part of the Species Survival. Animals in the breeding program must be free of genetic defects that would make them unlikely to survive in the wild.
If a reintroduction program is possible in the near future the facilities involved in the Species Survival Plan work together to develop the best possible rearing and conditioning programs for the endangered animals intended for release. Many of the zoos and aquariums involved in the Species Survival Program also have active field programs working to find and protect habitat and follow up on the success of captive bred animals released back to the wild.
More Lower Profile Endangered Species Now Have SSPs
While many of the endangered animals covered by Species Survival Plan programs are high profile like the lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla), the program is expanding to cover reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Many of these creatures, like the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), now have Species Survival Plans, with smaller zoos and aquariums taking the lead in captive breeding and reintroduction programs.
The Species Survival Plans represent the best possible use of the skills and knowledge that zoo and aquarium staff have in the care of endangered species for ensuring that these animals once again have healthy wild populations.
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