The Extinction of the Wild

Only 100 Florida panthers exist in the wild today. The beloved state mascot is facing trouble from modern developments that encroach the 200 mile radius each male panther needs to itself to feel at ease. So far this year, more than eight panthers have been hit and killed by cars. Now a new proposed housing development in Collier County threatens to corner the panther even more. Many wildlife activists are hoping that President Obama will add the Florida panther to the endangered species list so they can receive more critical protection. In the meantime, zoo animals are being bred around the country to ensure that the species proliferate.

The San Diego Zoo has one of the most active species-preservation programs in the nation. Their Center for Conservation and Research raises endangered species, such as California condors, pandas, tigers and African black rhinos. Some of these species are bred in captivity and later released into the wild, while others proliferate in the zoo for their entire adult lives. To help preserve rare animals, the San Diego Wild Animal Park has a cryopreservation facility to freeze sperm and eggs of rare animals. In 2009, the San Diego Zoological Society was proud to announce the birth of a giant panda cub, a western lowland gorilla and two endangered Grand Cayman blue iguanas.

Over the years, the Oregon Zoo has held many fundraisers for endangered animals abroad and has participated in many zoo animals breeding programs. In recent years, they’ve successfully bred western pond turtles, pygmy rabbits, condors and Chinook salmon. The zoo houses a number of endangered or threatened species, including the Rodrigues flying fox, ocelot, Babirusa pig, Malayan sun bear, mandrill, black rhinoceros, Humboldt penguin, African slender-nosed crocodile, barn owl, Edward’s lorikeet, black howler monkey, emerald tree boa and many more.

Generally, animal rights groups do not support zoo animals breeding programs because they believe that it is immoral to tamper with wild animal species in any way — be it animal testing, meat and dairy production, domestication or wearing fur fashions. Wildlife biologists, on the other hand, support captive-bred animals, but also feel that their long-term survival depends upon a stabilization of the animals’ natural habitat. They also warn about the danger of inbreeding too close in blood lines, breeding for non-aggressive traits (that may be preferable for a zoo but not for the wild) and the possibility of introducing contamination into wild populations.

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Caring for the Wild Animals

There is some debate over the best way to save endangered animals. Some say zoo conservation programs and species survival plans are the best way to protect biodiversity and ensure that animals are reproducing and surviving those critical early years, when young offspring are so vulnerable. Others say the “adopt an animal” programs and donating money toward the purchase of nature preserves are best. Some animal rights activists believe in putting pressure on governments to regulate habitat destruction, poaching and human interference as the only way we’re going to see any progress. In the end, the solution may very well consist of a combination of all these ideas, as well as some new innovations.

The Sumatran tiger is one of the world’s most endangered animals, particularly because they are highly coveted in the world of poaching and their habitat is rapidly being destroyed by the logging industry. The island’s nature preserve houses 100 tigers but the poachers have managed to find their way into the park to kill. Three similar breeds of tiger — the Bali, the Java and the Trinil — have already gone extinct. It is believed that there are less than 400 Sumatran tigers in the wild. Similarly, the Siberian tiger has been whittled down to less than 200 existing in the wild. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has 1,000 tigers in their breeding programs, which has female tigers birthing several cubs each year.

Another one of the most endangered species in the world is the orangutan, which experts warn could be extinct within 10 to 20 years. In 2006, 1,000 apes were killed in raging forest fires that swept Indonesia; not to mention that 80% of their habitat has been destroyed by palm oil/bio-fuel loggers and farmers. Now only small pockets of orangutan exist in Borneo and Sumatra. Their numbers have dwindled from 300,000 to 50,000, with 5,000 of these endangered animals perishing each year. “Orangutans are in catastrophic decline and everything that is being done to protect them is not up to the challenge,” explained Ape Alliance chairman Ian Redmond. “It is all looking pretty bleak.”

The endangered species study also found that 99% of the threats to wildlife are man-made. For instance, the Bornean Orangutan and the Sumatran Orangutan are threatened by illegal logging operations to obtain palm oil plantations. Even though it is illegal, the locals can’t help but try to obtain these valuable resources — at all costs, even if it means wrecking the home of precious endangered animals. The Sumatran tiger has been hurt significantly by the illegal animal trade since the killing of one tiger can feed a whole family for a year. Hippos are slaughtered for their ivory teeth, reducing their numbers by 95%. Chimpanzees are often hunted for bush meat and for use in Southeast Asian medicines.

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