The days when zoos
were simply collections of caged animals maintained for public curiosity and
entertainment are long past. Modern zoos play an important role in
environmental protection, conservation and awareness. Zoos help endangered
animals through breeding programs, education, professional training, habitat
protection and scientific research. Through organizations like the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums, and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, as
well as the United Nations Environment Program and the European Endangered
Species Program, zoos are able to work cooperatively to help endangered
animals.
Breeding Programs
Zoos help endangered animals
through breeding programs that create and sustain genetically viable numbers of
particular species. Describing their zoo's participation in cooperative
European breeding programs, scientists at the Edinburgh Zoo explain that genetic
diversity enables animal populations to hold onto the qualities that help them
adapt and survive in the wild.
Around the world, zoos that
exchange breeding animals and sperm develop specialist knowledge of particular
species. In the UK, for example, Woburn Safari Park supports breeding programs
for Eastern Mountain bongos. The National Zoo in Washington has successfully
bred Sumatran tiger cubs, helping to boost a population that was once only
about 700 in the world.
Research
Zoos are now major
scientific establishments, helping endangered species through research into
every aspect of their life cycle, vulnerabilities, behaviors, diets and
habitats. The San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research studies
methods of African elephant conservation. The Wildlife Conservation Society's
(WCS) Bronx Zoo monitors 350 species using high tech tools, population surveys
and research cooperation with international partners, resulting in a continual
flow of discoveries. Longleat Safari Park in England supports mountain gorilla
and elephant conservation and monitoring in the wild.
Habitat
Protection
Animal species that are
otherwise successful can become endangered through the disappearance of their
natural habitat. Although some endangered animals face a future only in
captivity, zoo breeding programs aim to release animals back into the wild
wherever possible. Because of this, a number of zoos work actively to conserve
natural habitats and support ecologically viable landscapes and seascapes. The
WCS has helped create more than 100 protected areas around the world. These
range from Mongolian grasslands to coral reefs.
Public Education
Zoos help endangered animals
by educating the public about wild life protection and animal conservation. All
the world's major zoos have education programs that teach children about animal
behavior and protection. The Bronx Zoo has an award-winning education
department with programs to teach young children, teens, families and adults
about wildlife and wild habitats. The WCS that operates the Bronx Zoo also runs
an active program in New York's Central Park Zoo. There, the zoo’s Wildlife
Theater Players use drama, puppetry, games and songs to inspire young audiences
to protect the natural world.
Professional
Training
The next generation of
ecologists, conservationists and animal behaviorists--those who will help zoos
protect endangered animals in the future--are getting their training in zoos
right now. In January 2010, the National Zoo launched the Smithsonian Conservation
Biology Institute, dedicated to global conservation and the training of
conservationists. The Zoological Society of London, which operates the London
Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo, offers work experience programs for young people who
want to work in conservation. In San Diego, Zoo InternQuest interns explore
careers at the San Diego Zoo and the zoo's Institute for Conservation Research.
References:
I still remember I have seem ppl stand aroud a sick bear in taronga zoo, they looks so warried about the bear, that was impressed me...
ReplyDelete