Human beings have been directly responsible for about 50% loss in wildlife populations over the years. With more African countries becoming industrialised the spaces for wild animals is reducing rapidly. The IUCN predicts that only 3% of the earth’s surface is designated for the protection of wildlife. As pressures on existing populations such as habitat loss, poaching, climate change and land fragmentation keep mounting the need for captive populations grows higher.
Captive breeding is the practice of breeding animals in a human-controlled environment as a tool for conservation. It has been a popular management option for endangered species in recent years as animal populations can increase more rapidly than in the wild. Reproduction experts are continually improving techniques for captive breeding. These improvements mean that there are larger populations of endangered species in captive environments. However, it is important to be aware that captive breeding alone cannot be relied upon to ensure the long-term survival of endangered species.
Captive breeding will not be successful if habitat conservation measures for the species are not in place. There is no point breeding an endangered species in zoos for introduction or reintroduction if the habitat is not available for the species. Habitat degradation and fragmentation are also issues that need to be addressed. While it may seem that there is habitat available for an animal, it may be of poor quality and not capable of supporting a breeding population.
In as much as captive breeding has had its successful stories it has also had its fair share of criticism with animal welfare organisations reporting inhumane treatment of animals at some facilities. The problem doesn’t end there and it continues on to critism on the reintroduction of species. Successful captive breeding programs need to be matched with successful introduction and/or reintroduction strategies. Wildlife Biologists must understand how an endangered species uses its habitat and how they interact with each other in the wild. Sadly, the reintroduction of these captive populations into natural habitats is not always successful. Due the small founder (initial) populations, many individuals in these populations become inbred and therefore their level of fitness is reduced. This means that they are less likely to survive in the wild.
However, before we dive into the critism surrounding the industry lets first look at the importance and goals of captive breeding. Without a doubt it has been responsible in rescuing certain species from the brink of extinction and right now it might well save the northern white rhino with only two remaining on the planet.
Goals of Captive Breeding
According to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, the main goal of most captive breeding programs for endangered species is to establish captive populations that are large enough to be demographically stable and genetically healthy.
Captive breeding is generally undertaken when a species has reached critical population levels where risk of extinction is likely. These programs are usually undertaken with the following goals
Maintain a healthy age structure (demographics) within the population.
Ensure that reproduction is successful.
Protect the population against disease.
Preserve the gene pool to avoid problems of inbreeding.
Provide animals to re-establish or restock wild populations when needed.
Breeding programs can have different aims depending on the species, environment it will be reintroduced to and foreseeable threats on release. The benefits of captive breeding programs are that they can allow for the temporary growth of a population in a stable and low risk environment. This environment provides food supplements, expert health care, reduced exposure to parasites and disease and the removal of predators and other threats.
Now that we understand the basic system of how captive breeding works on the next post we will explore case studies on animals that have actually benefited from captive breeding.
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