1   Consider...

• Role in linking in situ and ex situ conservation.
• Challenge posed by expanding human and declining wildlife population and eco systems.
• Conservation of wildlife requires mutually reinforcing links between in situ and ex situ conservation recognised by the convention on biological diversity e.g. for critically small population fragments.
• Insufficient knowledge for many species to determine the extent of extinction risk, or informed management decisions.
• Research is integral to development of recovery plans and management of sustainable populations.

• Zoos as High technology germ plasm banks:

  • gene banks including semen, ova, fertilised embryos, somatic cells and DNA collections
  • increases options for future conservation action (Ryder &Feistner 1995)

• Public expectations of seeing charismatic animals.
• Limitations of space
• Financial resources.
• Only a small proportion of vertebrate taxa will be included in zoos (Soule et al., 1986)
• What is a good zoo?

2   Messages from Zoos

• Zoo professionals regard themselves as stewards rather than masters of nature.
• But a distance exists between zoo animals and visitors.
• The message zoos wish to convey should be clear* e.g. global or local; relevant to local zoo visitors.
• Messages as issues, problems or neutral subjects. What is the zoo trying to achieve.
• Message effective when considering cultural norms of the audience.
• Transmission of messages: variety of methods; species choice for exhibition, exhibit design as eco-system, brochures, scientific reports, graphics, audio-visual interactive, signs, labels, talks etc.
• total ambience of a conservation concious organisation: contradictory messages - look in the cafes at the packaging. Practise what you preach.
• Crucial to know whether the messages are received
• Most people still visit zoos for recreation. Is this compatible?

3   Research in zoos

• Identification of species or sub-species for conservation management (Ryder, 1986) benefits from genetic techniques e.g. Orang-u-tang (Jancie Wiczi et al., 1990)
• Early taxonomic and anatomical research carried out in zoos.
• Comparative studies of behaviour, reproductive physiology and evolutionary genetics.
• e.g. Sex determination in many reptiles is influenced by egg-incubation temperature.
• Are the Wild Asses of Mongolia different from those of Tibet?
• Zoos have been criticised, they are willing, but what is their effective role?
• Geneticists emphasise research; but PVA's uncertainty point to need for habitat management
• The idea that technology will conserve but not ecosystem maybe deviates from urgency required in protecting landscapes now
• Research is feasible in a wild setting. Monitoring reintroductions is at least as informative, and offers captives for tissue samples.
• Determination of gestation length requires knowledge of timing. But oestrous cycles etc. are interrupted in captivity.
• Ability to establish the composition of groups: social behaviour affected by captivity (density dependent).
• New technologies should compliment direct observation of animal behaviour
• Behavioural research limited in zoos
• When is a zoo not a zoo? Is a reserve a zoo? Let's say no it isn't Reason language
• Reproductive events increasingly monitored non-invasively - understanding the sociobiology (Klieman, 1980)
• Contributes to greater breeding success ex situ e.g. Cheetah, density and smell. Scent marks and spatial distribution.
• Non-invasive genetic sampling of wild populations uses the polymerase chain reaction: (slime, hair, epithelium in faeces; Woodruff 1989).

4   Species in Zoos

• Current priorities stress the importance of large vertebrates,

  • they are less likely to breed well than smaller organisms, more costly to maintain in long term breeding programmes.

• Zoos aren't targeting species for which habitat availability makes reintroduction a realistic prospect
• Imaginative exhibits of smaller animals can increase zoo attendance (Yajima 1991)
• Should target species threatened by factors other than irreversible habitat loss.
• No evidence that existing programmes focus on taxa that face threats other than irreversible habitat loss (Balmford et al., 1995).
• Potentially rewarding but neglected groups are invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles.
• Among mammals, fast breeding social species such as bats.
• Displaying a more representative sample of fauna diversity will provide zoos with a more balanced framework for biodiversity education, and improve the welfare of animals in captivity.
• If biological requirements cannot be met in captivity, ex situ breeding is ethically unacceptable.
• Rhinos are given high priority for ex situ conservation (Foose, 1993), yet they are notoriously poor breeders in zoos.
• The Black-Footed Ferret breeding programme (Mustela nigripes) has been remarkably successful in biological terms, a good basis for reintroduction, all within the local area (Miller et al., 1994)
• Field Crickets in the London Zoo (Gryllus campestris), which has significantly contributed to their recovery programme.

5   Education and Zoos

• Importance of conservation and biodiversity in education (Whitehead et al 1995).

  • Outlined in Agenda 21 and the global biodiversity strategy, at the 1992 UNCED in Rio de Janero.
  • Depends on answering certain criticisms: behavioural distortion, ecological context and people/animal relationships.

• Zoos are the only institutions to keep living wild animals from all over the world.
• Since policy makers activists cannot reduce biodiversity loss without wider public support, a multi-faceted effort is required to expand public awareness
• estimated 600 million, 10% of global human population, visit the worlds 1000 plus federated zoos each year (WZCS).
• Film makers use zoos for close ups
• Various target audiences
• Contributions to formal school education from art through to zoology
• tertiary education: training programmes.
• Outcomes should be memorable compared to classrooms
• Zoos reflect the power of people over other sentient beings
• Distortions of behaviour: some species more than others
• Natural behaviour patterns: facilitated by good practise in husbandry, welfare and enclosure design
• Enclosures that reflect the faunal and floral bio diversity of eco systems, holistic displays, is a trend.
• e.g. Coimbatore Zoological Park offers visitors a chance to take a potted walk through the Nilgiri Hills. Also takes in culture of local people working in traditional crafts (Rangaswami & Walker, 1992).
• In a sense zoos are becoming bigger as the wild shrinks. Actually this is a zoo and a reserve joined together, reflecting local conservation aims.

6   Captive-breeding

• A vital role for in-situ conservation (Alney et al.,1994):
• exhibition of flagship species, public education, training
• fundraising events
• internationally coordinated Captive breeding programmes.
• Many are evolving into conservation centres (Rabb, 1994).
• Zoos can help conserve only a small minority of the species threatened with extinction (Balmford et al., 1995)
• Clear criteria are needed to identify which taxa zoos should focus on.

• Criteria should reflect the economic and biological realities of captive breeding and reintroduction

  • Preferences of zoo visitors indicate they need not adversely affect zoo attendance

• Advantages associated with small size could be compromised because their shorter generations would lose genetic variability more quickly.
• Small species must be maintained in larger captive populations than bigger taxa (Soule et al., 1986)

• The notion of zoos as arks has been amended

  • Long term captives are unlikely ever to be returned to the wild.

• Captive breeding aimed at reintroduction has a greater impact because it helps to restore eco systems, and frees resources for more efforts.

7   Questions

• 17. Can In situ management of populations shed light on management of habitats and natural ecosystems?
• 17. Do zoos help progress in conservation science in the field? Many genetic samples and studies taken from zoos.

8   Conclusion

• Optimise resource use
• minimise duration of each programme
• address the needs of more species
• conserve maximum biodiversity through conservation of landscapes
• we will save what we value.
• Genetic fine tuning should follow habitat availability.
• Genetic factors do not figure amongst the causes of extinction.

9   References

RYDER O.A., FEISTNER A.T.C. Research in Zoos: a growth area in conservation, Biodiversity and Conservation 4, 671-677 (1995).

WHITEHEAD M., Saying it with genes, species and habitats: biodiversity education and the role of zoos Biodiversity and Conservation 4, 664-670 (1995).

BALMFORD A., MACE G.M., LEADER-WILLIAMS N. Designing the Ark: Setting Priorities for Captive Breeding Conservation Biology, Pages 719-727 Volume 10, No.3, June 1996.