Identifying Genetically Important Individuals for Management of Genetic Variation in Pedigreed Populations.

Abstract

Captive populations are a valuable contribution to the conservation of threatened and endangered species (Foose 1983; Foose et al., essay 12 of this volume). Captive populations, by nature, however, are small fragmented, and often dispersed among many zoos distributed over a wide geographic range. The capacity of any single institution to hold a large number of individuals of any one species is limited. Cooperative breeding programs are needed to ensure that zoo collections aid managed jointly under the goal of the species' long-term conservation. Ideally, these programs should be part of a comprehensive and integrated conservation strategy that includes protection and management of wild populations and habitat as well as the captive component (Jones 1990).