In the month of February 2010, the PMC will be working with:
26 SSPs (Andean Bear, Angolan Colobus, Arabian Oryx, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Bali Mynah, Beluga Whale, Black Mangabey, Callimico, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Chilean Pudu, Chinese Alligator, Guereza Colobus, Japanese Macaque, Keel-billed Toucan, Ocelot, Pink Pigeon, Polar Bear, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Rodrigues Fruit Bat, Slender-horned Gazelle, Spider Monkeys, Spotted-necked Otter, Toco Toucan, White-cheeked Gibbon, White-handed Gibbon, Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby)
12 PMPs (Blue-bellied Roller, California Sea Lion, Canadian Lynx, Caracal, Gentoo Penguin, Greater Flamingo, Hooded Crane, North American River Otter, Red Bird-of-Paradise, Springbok, Steenbok, White Stork)
Planning Meetings in February:
Blue-bellied Roller via Email
Japanese Macaque @ LPZ
Pink Pigeon via Email
Ocelot via Email
Rhinoceros Hornbill via Email
Greater Flamingo @ LPZ
Currently in review by participating institutions are Draft Breeding and Transfer Plans for
8 SSPs
8 PMPs
Upcoming Planning Meetings:
March: Golden-breasted Starling, Yellow-throated Laughingthrush, Thick-billed Parrot, Okapi, Bennett’s Wallaby, Soemmerring’s Gazelle, Cuvier’s Gazelle, Siamang Gibbon, Laughing Kookaburra, Sun Bear, Sloth Bear, Southern Three-banded Armadillo, Geoffroy’s Marmoset, Tawny Frogmouth, Prehensile-tailed Skink, Crested Porcupine, Bongo, Attending the AZA Mid-Year Meeting in Virginia Beach, VA
Since the PMC started in June 2000, we have:
Produced Final Breeding and Transfer Plans for:
90 SSP programs - 292 reports
(76% of total AZA SSP species)
145 PMP programs -266 reports
(46% of total AZA PMP species)
Assisted Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs) with the development of
20 TAGs - 29 RCP analyses
(39% of AZA TAGs)
Validated North American regional studbooks resulting in
447 Validated Studbooks
1055 Total Validations
Distributed reports for a total of
587 Reports (SSPs, PMPs, RCPs, etc.)
255Programs
Involvement with 576 different programs (some analyses not necessarily resulting in a final report)
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.
The PMC employs four full-time staff: Senior Population Biologist Sarah Long directs daily operations and supervises Associate Population Biologists Kristine Schad and Cara Groome and Studbook Analyst Kristin Kovar. 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 staffers Colleen Lynch and Louise Bier serve as consulting population biologists.
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 Kristin Kovar.
For information on PMC financial and administrative oversight, please contact Steven D. Thompson, Ph.D.
