Download Collection Planning and Population Management By Senior Keeper

Collection Planning and Population Management
By Senior Keeper, Lindsay Banks
Zoos cannot and do not operate in isolation but are much stronger as a coordinated force.
Therefore, many zoos operate within accredited associations which function at a number of levels
including national (BIAZA), regional (EAZA) and international (WAZA IUCN). This provides a
regulatory framework where support and assistance is administered at an inter-organisational level
which enables best practice in conservation, research, education and species management and
husbandry. This regulatory framework helps zoos to focus and realise their conservation potential
but also provides codes of practice ensuring zoos are operating at the same high standards. Many
zoos within the UK operate within the framework of BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and
Aquariums) and EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria). BIAZA is a conservation, scientific
and education wildlife charity and is a single voice representing the zoos and aquariums of Britain
and Ireland. It aims to forge a more effective partnership between zoos, governments and
conservation organisations. It is a member of the parliamentary group and thus can raise awareness
at a political level. However, BIAZA will also take its lead from EAZA regarding Regional Collection
Planning (RCP) and species management. EAZA is the regional coordinating organisation of the
European zoo community and plays a key role in regional conservation initiatives. It coordinates a
number of regional breeding programmes and participates in many international breeding
programmes. For a zoo to participate within these accredited associations it must strive for
excellence and work to specified standards of animal husbandry, animal welfare and conservation
and education.
If modern zoo are to make a marked and significant contribution to conservation it is imperative
they work within this coordinated and accredited framework. It would be foolhardy to think that a
single zoo could maintain a viable self -sustaining population of a particular species, there simply
isn’t the space. It requires and relies fully on a coordinated approach utilising the space and skills of
all zoos. Those species which are managed in zoos are carefully and very specifically selected based
upon key information and research provided by a number of organisations including the World
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) and EAZA. The IUCN regularly monitors and reviews species’ populations and habitats in the
wild and this information is used to produce the Red Data List. This list assigns a threat classification
to a species and can vary from least concern to higher threat classifications such as critically
endangered or extinct in the wild. The IUCN has also established a number of Specialist Groups
including groups for birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, plants, invertebrates and mammals. For
example, within mammals there are the Small Carnivore Specialist Group, African Rhino Specialist
Group, Antelope Specialist Group and the Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group to name just a few!
These groups are composed of a number of key conservationists, zoo professionals and other
experts which collectively monitor and assess specific species, produce conservation action plans
and global surveys for the species and may identify specific species which require captive breeding
to survive. Zoos and zoo associations will use this information to establish where and how to focus
their conservation strategies and efforts. Effectively, this critical information is used to help identify
which species zoos should manage in captivity.
Since zoo space is at a premium zoos simply cannot pick a species which is nice to exhibit but
must make informed decisions about species management to ensure an effective and coordinated
approach to conservation. Therefore, zoos will develop collection plans which are produced at a
local (zoo) and regional level (European). Species selection and management across European zoos is
coordinated within the framework of EAZA and EAZA Regional Collection Plans (RCP). These plans
are coordinated and compiled at a taxonomic level. Within the zoo community all species managed
in captivity will have a Taxonomic Advisory Group (TAG) in which key zoo professionals will discuss a
number of species specific issues including conservation, husbandry, research and collection
planning. Some example TAG groups include the Giraffe and Antelope TAG, Small Mammal TAG,
Great Ape TAG and Felid TAG. Each specific TAG will create an RCP which will identify specific species
to be managed in captivity, including why and how each species should be managed as well as those
species that no longer require captive management. The TAG will look at factors such as available
space in zoos, IUCN status, the educational value of a species and the husbandry and expertise
required to effectively manage the species.
Once a species has been selected for captive management it is important that zoos are
capable of maintaining a healthy, viable self-sustaining captive population. This is critical if zoos are
to make a significant and appropriate contribution to species conservation. Therefore, zoos must
manage a species in large enough populations to prevent inbreeding and to ensure long term
genetic diversity. If captive animals are allowed to breed unregulated within small groups inbreeding
will occur which can result in long term health implications and a reduction in genetic diversity. As a
result, zoos work in collaboration with one another enabling the metapopulation management of
species. Essentially, a species is managed as single population despite it being held in a number of
different zoos across Europe or the world. The level of breeding management employed will depend
upon the species and its threat status. As a result, EAZA has created European Endangered Species
Breeding Programmes (EEP) which is the most intensive and strictly controlled form of breeding
management. Species managed at this level include Mountain bongo Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci
(Critically endangered), Scimitar-horned oryx Oryx dammah (Extinct in the wild), Rothschild giraffe
Giraffa Camelopardalis rothschildi (Endangered), Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica (Endangered)
and Asian elephant Elephas maximus (Endangered). Within each EEP there is a Species Coordinator
who is assisted by a Species Committee. It is the role of the coordinator to collect and compile data
from all zoos in Europe which hold the EEP species. This data is used to produce a studbook (births,
deaths, transfers) and to conduct genetic and demographic analysis which enables effective and
informed recommendations regarding which individuals within which zoos can breed. Therefore,
individuals can be moved throughout Europe for specific targeted breeding. Consequently, an animal
born at Woburn could live in a number of zoos throughout its life. This ensures that it is not the
same individuals breeding continually each year, if this were to occur the genes of certain individuals
would become overrepresented within the population and in turn would reduce the genetic
diversity of the population. Therefore, it is imperative that zoos only breed those individuals that
have been selected. Breeding information is reviewed annually to ensure the population is being
managed appropriately to maintain 99% gene diversity. EAZA also compiles European Studbook data
(ESB) which is a less intensive form of breeding management. The coordinator of an ESB will collect
data from across Europe to compile a studbook of births, deaths and transfers. This information is
monitored and held in case it is deemed necessary to manage the species more intensively.
In conjunction with the information provided by EAZA Regional Collection Plans, EAZA
breeding programmes as well as zoo regulatory bodies each zoo will establish an institutional
collection plan. This essentially outlines the strategic direction of the zoo’s living collection. It is an
organic document which is regularly reviewed and sets out the justifications and management for
each species held at the zoo. Zoos must ensure that species are selected and managed according to
conservation, education and research objectives. As indicated above, zoos simply cannot select
species randomly with no forethought for the long term implications, a single zoo is unable to
manage a species population on its own and this is why strategic coordinated collection planning is
employed. At Woburn each species held has a justified reason for being managed within the
collection based upon education, research and conservation criteria or roles. Equally, zoos must
recognise their recreational role and thus Woburn also manages some species which are not of
conservation priority but complement the exhibition of those that are. The collection plan also
considers space availability and the overall capacity of each exhibit to ensure species are managed
appropriately. All EEP species at Woburn are managed in accordance to the breeding
recommendations of the programme and thus separation of males from female groups may be
necessary and as such this is also factored into the overall collection plan.