Contributions of Behavioral Studies to Captive Management and Breeding of Rare and Endangered Mammals

Abstract

Abstract The importance of captive breeding as a viable tool for conservation of rare and endangered species has been emphasized by zoos, aquariums, and other captive facilities since the early 1970s. Zoos have repeatedly been portrayed as future “arks” for endangered species (Durrell, 1975; Martin, 1975; Brambell, 1977; Soule et al., 1986; Durrell and Mallinson, 1987; Luoma, 1987; Tudge, 1991; DeBlieu, 1994; Gibbons et al., 1994; Rabb, 1994). In concordance with this perspective, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has adopted a policy endorsing captive breeding as an important supportive intervention to avoid the loss of many species (IUCN, 1987). The policy calls for the establishment of captive-breeding programs and self-sustaining captive populations (i.e., populations that are viable in captivity without further genetic influx from the wild) before a species is reduced to critically low numbers in the wild. Captive-breeding programs are to be coordinated internationally according to genetic and demographic principles. The ultimate goal of captive breeding programs is the maintenance and/or reestablishment of viable populations in the wild (IUCN, 1987).