Conundrum

Reintroductions usually demand a sizeable and healthy animal stock, presenting conservationists with the conundrum that species scarcity or sickness is usually the catalyst for action. Sometimes animals from other wild populations can be transferred, but great care must be taken not to harm those source populations. Often new stock needs to be spread using captive breeding programs, and these are much more scientific than just putting males and females together and letting nature take its course. Genetic diversity is essential to a successful captive breeding program—and a species’ survival—so detailed records of each animal’s ancestry are kept, and breeding pairs are carefully selected based on their genetics to avoid inbreeding. Even the temperament of an animal may be taken into account. Still, the mating game can be a slow and frustrating process.