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Population Management II: Data Analysis and Breeding Recommendations
- November 12-17, 2007, Wheeling, WV
- $700 for AZA Individual Members and $800 for Non-members [join AZA]
Please Note: This class will not be offered in 2008.
Types of credit available
Please Note:
Checks sent for course payment will be cashed immediately upon receipt as per standard business practices. Cashing your check does not indicate that you have been accepted into a course. You will receive an acceptance letter or waitlist letter once acceptance decisions are made. If you have any questions about your acceptance status, please email us at .
Registration
Until July 13, 2007, preference for admission will be given to applicants who are AZA individual members and Students who are current SSP® coordinators or PMP managers.
Prerequisite: Population Management I or Studbook I.
All registrations for Population Management II must be accompanied by a letter of support from the director of the applicant's employer. The letter must include:
- the studbook(s) which the applicant keeps or has applied to keep;
- an expression of institutional support for keeping the studbook(s).
- when Population Management I or Studbook I was completed.
Download the Registration Form (in PDF). Please note that you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to type your responses directly into this form, print, and return by mail or fax. You may also print the form, write in your information and return by mail or fax. Each course has a registration form specific for that course.
Travel and Accommodations
For information on travel and lodging, please see the Professional Training in Wheeling page.
Objective
Trains competent managers for zoo or aquarium populations.The course teaches the integration of demography, genetics and husbandry to set population goals and make breeding recommendations for captive zoo/aquarium populations.
Target Audience
Current and prospective Species Survival Plan® (SSP) coordinators and Population Management Plan managers that desire to understand the biology and process behind making breeding recommendations. Class size limited to 24. Applicants must submit an institutional letter of support. Course includes day classes and evening project work until 10 p.m. Prerequisite: Population Management I or Studbook I. Enrollment preference given to current SSP and PMP managers.
Course Instructors
Lisa Faust
Research Biologist
Lincoln Park Zoo
Sarah Long
Population Biologist
AZA Population Management Center in Chicago
Andy Odum
Curator of Herpetology
Toledo Zoo
Chelle Plasse
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Dr. Robert Wiese
Director of Animal Collections
Fort Worth Zoo
Course Topics
Why Manage Captive Populations?
This topic focuses on the importance of population management for the modern zoological facility and their partner institutions. The thesis presented is that population management is a part of responsible animal management, regardless of its implications for conservation. Without good management we will have less viable populations in the future.
SSPs , PMPs and DERPs
Presentations introduce students to the differences and similarities of the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP), Population Management Plan (PMP) and Display/Education/Research Program (DERP). Examples of successful SSP, PMP and DERP programs are presented as models and to show how Species Survival Plans can truly become holistic conservation efforts.
Creation of an Analytical Database
This section helps students understand the steps that must be completed to transform a "good" studbook into a database that can be analyzed properly. For example, students learn general guidelines for making assumptions on animals of unknown or questionable ancestry. Should they be included in the management plan or not? What should be done with animals of partially known ancestry? Various methods to subset the database and select only the animals under program management are presented. This provides a specifically defined population for which a management plan can be completed and recommendations made.
Demography
This section provides students with an understanding of demographic analysis using tools such as the age pyramid, growth rate, and life table to better manage the size of a captive population. Each topic is illustrated using examples from the zoo field. Students learn to run the demographic software on their studbooks and how to interpret the results.
Genetics
This section provides students with a quick review of basic genetics and then focuses on the tenets of population genetics. The different types of genetic variation are discussed as well as strategies for maintaining them in a captive population. Students learn to run the genetic software on their studbooks and how to interpret the results.
Husbandry
Topics have been selected to instill in students a basic understanding of how biological attributes of a species and husbandry practices affect population management. A discussion of using surveys to answer husbandry questions that affect management is included. Examples of how husbandry issues and concerns effect Master Plan recommendations will be presented.
Setting Population Goals
Based on the demographic and genetic analyses and the species biology and husbandry, students learn to set realistic population goals. Goals include setting an appropriate population size, length of program, and amount of genetic variation to preserve.
Management Plan Development
Once students have learned how to retrieve the demographic, genetic and husbandry pieces and set population goals, they learn to create an effective management plan complete with animal-by-animal breeding recommendations. During the course students complete two management plans as a class, one with a small group, and one with a partner. This repetition helps instill the basic analytic steps of management plan preparation as well as showing how different species have vastly different factors impinging on their management plans.
Sample Course Schedule
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