Collaboration and co-ordination between zoos all over the world are essential if captive populations are to be successfully maintained without the need to take individuals from wild populations. Animals in separate zoos should be managed as part of one single global population, and this population must be kept genetically and demographically healthy.
Many of the vulnerable species bred by ZSL are part of these coordinated breeding programmes. ZSL participates in 160 of these programmes and runs 11 of them. The most well developed and intensively managed programmes are the European Endangered Species Programmes (EEPs) set up in the 1980's. They provide safety nets for species threatened in the wild and mean that animals rarely need to be taken from the wild to maintain captive populations. Find out more about managing breeding programmes
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You an find out about some of our key EEP species below:
Breeding Exotic Birds The avian husbandry expertise at ZSL is wide-ranging. We hold the studbooks for a number of vulnerable EEP bird species, and are involved in breeding programmes for many more.
Partula snails at ZSL London Zoo The Partula tree snails of French Polynesia suffered massive population crashes and many extinctions after the introduction of the predatory rosy wolf snail. The International Partula Conservation Programme has been co-ordinated by ZSL since 1994, and has breeding programmes for 25 species in 15 collaborating zoos worldwide. We have 13 species of Partula snails in London Zoo, several of which are extinct in the wild.
Southern White Rhino Breeding At the beginning of the 20th Century, there were as few as 30-100 wild white rhinos left in existence, largely a result of poaching. stimulated international efforts to create a healthy captive population that could act as a safety net for the species. We have had great success with these magnificent animals at Whipsnade. Since 1970 we have had 55 white rhino births, contributing very significantly to the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for them.
Breeding Grevy's Zebra Grevy’s Zebra are one of the EDGE top 100 phylogenetically distinct and threatened animals, as well as being Endangered in the IUCN Red list. There are over 100 organisations taking part in the Grevy's Zebra EEP, with around 500 captive zebra, a significant number considering there are only a few thousand in the wild. We have had 26 foals born into our breeding group at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Breeding Grey Slender Lorises ZSL London Zoo has the largest of only three breeding populations of Grey Slender lorises in Europe, perhaps because of the knowledge about loris habitat gained by one of our EDGE Fellows who visited Sri Lanka in 2009. The grey slender loris is a relative of the highly endangered red slender loris and Horton plains slender loris.
Pygmy Hippo Breeding Pygmy Hippo are a unique and vulnerable species that live secretively in the rainforests of Central Africa. There are only a few thousand left in the wild, so the EEP programme ZSL Whipsnade zoo is part of is a vital safety net for the species. We have 3 pygmy hippos at the moment: a couple and their new son, Sapo.
Greater One Horned Rhino Breeding Threatened in the wild by poachers, invasive plants and habitat degradation, the greater one-horned rhino is critically endangered, and fewer than 3000 exist in the wild. Part of ZSL's conservation work is maintaining the captive breeding group of rhinos at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo that can act as a ‘safety net’ for the wild populations. The most recent baby, Ajang, was born in 2010.
Find out about FishNet The plight of freshwater fish is extremely serious. Over half the freshwater species assessed by the IUCN are endangered or extinct in the wild. As the leading organisation in Fish Net, a global consortium of zoos and aquaria, ZSL runs breeding programmes for freshwater fish species on the brink of extinction. The Aquarium at ZSL London Zoo breeds 14 species, including the Corfu killifish, Mexican pupfish and livebearers, 5 of which are extinct in the wild.
Okapi
Amur Leopard Conservation Amur leopards in Russia's Far east are the most endangered leopard species, with only 30-35 left in the wild. Without some help from captive breeding programmes, it is unlikely they will survive. ZSL is cordinating the studbook for a joint captive breeding programme of over 100 leopards in Euroepan and Russian Zoos, and it looks like there may be reintroductions occurring in the near future.
