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Date: | Sun, 21 May 2023 20:23:31 -0400 |
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The credible definition of genetic diversity and agreed-upon metrics claimed to be lacking can be found in the handbooks for the various AZA "Species Survival Programs", and the papers published by the members of each taxon group.
https://www.aza.org/species-survival-plan-programs
This is why animals of many of the more threatened species are traded around between AZA-member facilities, and often transported on private planes free of charge as a donation from charter jet companies. With the sole goal of maximizing genetic diversity of the overall population of animals in human care, all matings are planned and DNA records kept for every animal, as well as lineage.
The ultimate goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of animals in human care as reservoirs for restocking species if numbers in the wild drop too low. A famous example is the American Bison, restocked from the herd kept and carefully bred at the Bronx Zoo after the wild population was hunted to the edge of extinction. If trends continue unabated, we are on a 10 to 15 year timeline for having to ship incubated eggs from multiple large populations, such as the MD Zoo, with 111 African Penguins, down to SANCCOB in South Africa, where the eggs can be placed in nests, and raised by experienced parents to supplement the declining wild population.
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