Population Management Center

About the PMC

Lincoln Park Zoo hosts the Population Management Center (PMC) in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Established in June 2000, the center provides assistance to zoo professionals across the country by conducting demographic and genetic analyses and preparing breeding and transfer plans for Species Survival Plan® (SSP) and Red Studbook species. Operational support for the center is provided by the AZA, Rice Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Lincoln Park Zoo.

In their management of captive animals, zoos and aquariums focus on the long-term maintenance of healthy populations in conjunction with education and conservation goals. Cooperative, scientific population management is critical to the long-term sustainability of most zoo and some aquarium animal collections.

Science-based population management ensures that zoo and aquarium collections meet the following standards:

* They’re maintained at the sizes necessary to meet the conservation and education missions of each species
* They retain the highest possible levels of genetic diversity
* They will not grow beyond the zoo and aquarium community's ability to care for them.

Related Projects

PMCTrack Zoos across the country cooperate on breeding and transfer plans to ensure healthy populations. In developing PMCTrack, Lincoln Park Zoo scientists have made it possible to evaluate the outcome of every recommendation for the first time—improving population planning everywhere.

Staff

The PMC employs five full-time staff: Director Sarah Long leads daily operations and supervises Studbook Analyst Kaitlyn Perisin, Population Biologist Kristine Schad and Associate Population Biologist Cara Groome Bryan. Steven D. Thompson, Ph.D., vice president for conservation programs and Emily and John Alexander Chair of Conservation and Science at Lincoln Park Zoo, provides administrative and financial oversight for the center. Former PMC staffer Colleen Lynch serves as a consulting population biologist

Working closely with staff from the zoo’s Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology and the Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology, the PMC staff participates in the development and evaluation of population management software, evaluates disease risks and/or reproductive status, and models the impact of potential management strategies on population size and structure.

To schedule planning assistance for an AZA TAG, SSP or PMP, please contact Studbook Analyst Kaitlyn Perisin. For information on PMC financial and administrative oversight, please contact Steven D. Thompson, Ph.D.

Multimedia

Seahorses Shake Up Population Planning How do you plan breeding for a species where males incubate eggs and as many as 800 offspring can be produced every two–three weeks? Sarah Long, director of the Population Management Center, offers an inside look at planning for lined seahorses.

March 2012 Blog

In the month of March 2012, the PMC will be assisting:

24 AZA Programs: Adelie Penguin, African Crested Porcupine, Allen's Swamp Monkey, Bali Mynah, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Brown Forest Tortoise, Burmese Mountain Tortoise, Diana Monkey, Dwarf Mongoose, Elegant Crested Tinamou, Galapagos Tortoise, Golden-breasted Starling, Greater Kudu, Guam Rail, Houston Toad, Hyacinth Macaw, Kea, Kinkajou, Lar (White-handed) Gibbon, Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey, Lined Seahorse, Sable Antelope, Turquoise Tanager, White-cheeked Gibbon
 

Planning Meetings in March:

Adelie Penguin via Email

Greater Kudu at Lincoln Park Zoo

African Crested Porcupine via Email

Golden-breasted Starling via Email

Dwarf Mongoose via Email

Sable Antelope at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Blue-faced Honeyeater via Email

Turquoise Tanager via Email

Brown Forest Tortoise at AZA Regional Conference

Burmese Mountain Tortoise at AZA Regional Conference

Guam Rail at Lincoln Park Zoo
 

Currently in review by participating institutions are Draft Breeding and Transfer Plans for 22 AZA Programs

Upcoming Planning Meetings:

April: Northern Ground Hornbill, Gentoo Penguin, Green Woodhoopoe, Mississippi Gopher Frog, Fennec Fox, Yellow-backed Duiker, Fossa, Victoria Crowned Pigeon, Blue-crowned Pigeon                          

May: Lady Ross Turaco, Violaceous Turaco, Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, Cotton-top Tamarin, Linne’s Two-toed Sloth, Hoffman’s Sloth, Fairy Bluebird
 

Since the PMC started in June 2000, we have:

Produced Final Breeding and Transfer Plans for:
336 AZA Programs – 806 Reports

     (58% of total AZA species)

Assisted Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs) with the development of
21 TAGs - 31 RCP analyses

    (45% of AZA TAGs)

Validated North American regional studbooks resulting in
422 Validated Studbooks
1050 Total Validations
  
Distributed reports for a total of
1,271 Reports (Breeding and Transfer Plans, TAG Analyses, MateRx Reports, Studbook Publications, Plan Reviews)
442 Programs

Involvement with 668 different programs (some analyses not necessarily resulting in a final report)

Last Updated: March 2012

Documents
Preparing for a PMC Planning Meeting
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in PopLink 2.1
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in PopLink 1.3
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in SPARKS