Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Studbook Fact Sheet

What is an AZA Studbook?

An Association of Zoos and Aquariums studbook is a true record of the history of a population held in a zoo or aquarium. It includes pedigrees of animals and a listing of the various locations in which animals have been held. The studbook traces the entire history of each individual in a population; these collective histories are known as the population's genetic and demographic identity.

However, studbooks also contain a wealth of other information: data on the general biology and ecology of the species, the status and distribution of wild populations, as well as a bibliography of relevant publications. Furthermore, studbooks may either be regional (e.g., North American regional studbook) or international in scope.

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What is the Purpose of a Studbook?

AZA studbooks are primarily used for monitoring and managing populations in zoos and aquariums. They provide an accurate database for particular species that allows detailed genetic and demographic analyses. For example, the data can be used to make breeding decisions so that genetic variation can be retained and close inbreeding avoided. The data can also be used to assess whether a population is stable, increasing, or decreasing in numbers.

When studbooks were first developed, typically they were directed at species that were highly endangered or extinct in the wild. Now studbooks are invaluable tools in the routine management of many species whose wild populations range from extinct to common. During each animal's life, supplementary information may also be recorded, as appropriate for that species, to help present and future studbook keepers track that animal and better understand its history. The Species Survival Plans® (SSP) and Population Management Plans (PMPs) supported by AZA use studbooks to manage species in participating institutions as a single population.

What is a Studbook Keeper?

A studbook keeper is an individual who compiles and maintains a pedigree and demographic database on a group of animals (usually a specific taxon). However, studbook keeping is not a secretarial effort. The studbook keeper is a resource: a knowledgeable individual with a vast amount of information about a particular group of animals. Moreover, the studbook keeper is a researcher who pursues those individual facts that together portray the true history of the population.

Studbook keeping requires keen insight and the ability to link disparate and obscure pieces of information into complete and accurate histories for individual animals. Tracking down animals of unknown origin, linking animals that have disappeared from one location and seem to have reappeared at another, and resolving conflict information are among the more important tasks performed by the studbook keeper. The studbook keeper is the expert on, and the chronicler of, the story of a specific population of animals.

While the studbook keeper is not necessarily the foremost expert on the species' biology, its status in the wild, or its ecology, the studbook keeper is recognized by the zoological community as the first person to contact for information on the species. It is for this reason that studbook keepers are expected to compile a bibliography on the species.

Who Decides to Begin a Studbook?

It is the responsibility of the appropriate AZA Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) to determine which species are most in need of a studbook. However, even if such a TAG does not exist, there may still be a need for a studbook. In these cases, either the WCMC chair or the AZA Conservation and Science Department can provide assistance.

How does One Learn to Keep Studbooks?

The AZA Professional Training Program offers a training course for studbook keepers. The objective of this course is to teach studbook keepers to prepare and publish a comprehensive and accurate studbook.