Reintroduction Programs
Reintroduction programs, by which animals raised or rehabilitated in AZA-accredited zoos or aquariums are released into their natural habitats, are powerful tools used for stabilizing, re-establishing, or increasing in situ animal populations that have suffered significant declines. Reintroductions may include animals that have spent some of their early life-stages being cared for in a “head-start” program that gives them a greater chance of survival than those born in the wild, those brought in for rehabilitations from illness or injury, or those that are offspring of animals that have had several generations cared for by AZA-accredited institutions.
AZA and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN)/Species Survival Commission (SSC’s) play key roles in advancing the science of reintroduction programs that AZA Animal Programs or its accredited institutions participate in. Numerous reference materials and tools have been developed to advance reintroduction programs.
Examples of AZA Reintroduction Programs
In 1982, only 23 California condors existed in the wild, however management of these animals in AZA-accredited institutions increased this population to 322 animals in 1992, including 172 now living in the wild. To learn more about the condor ex situ rearing efforts, additional partner zoos and agencies, and on-going complementary conservation efforts, visit the San Diego Zoo.
The Wyoming toad suffered rapid and dramatic population declines until 1994 when the in situ population was officially classified as extinct, and and only one ex situ population remained. The ex situ population was successfully managed to produce tadpoles and toadlets that were reintroduced into the in situ population. Unfortunately, the current in situ Wyoming toad population is believed to have succumbed to the amphibian chytrid fungus. Read more about the Wyoming toad SSP Program in the U.S. Endangered Species Bulletin.
The last 18 black-footed ferrets were placed in the care of AZA-accredited institutions. Due to the efforts of the AZA Black-footed Ferret SSP Program and other conservation partners, these animals have successufully reproduced and over 700 animals have been reintroduced into in situ population. To learn more about this program visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and and the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
While healthy populations of the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly remain in a handful of its historic range states, the Karner blue butterfly disappeared from Ohio in 1992. In 1998, the Toledo Zoo became the first institution to breed the Karner blue butterfly for reintroduction into the wild at restored sites. To learn more about this effort visit the Toledo Zoo or read the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Karner Blue Butterfly Fact Sheet.
AZA Reintroduction Scientific Advisory Group
The AZA Reintroduction Scientific Advisory Group provides support for all components of AZA reintroduction programs including:
Providing expertise and dissemination of accurate and up-to-date information concerning reintroductions
Identifying key reintroduction-related issues/research to be addressed
Developing projects that can answer significant reintroduction-related theoretical and applied questions
Reviewing and providing expert advice for new reintroduction proposals
Developing partnerships with likeminded organizations interested in or involved with reintroductions
Evaluating the success of existing reintroduction programs through objective peer review processes
Analyzing and monitoring advancements in reintroduction technology and methodology.
AZA Guidelines for Reintroduction of Animals
AZA asserts that the scientific and ethical complexity of reintroduction necessitates guidelines for those who plan, conduct, fund, regulate and publicize reintroductions and has developed a bibliography that identifies a variety of documents addressing reintroduction guidelines. These guidelines are often are contradictory and AZA suggests that sincere consideration be given to all of these bibliographic sources and guidelines during the planning stages of reintroduction, and that reintroduction be regarded as science, with surveys of the pertinent literature, interdisciplinary participation, formulation of testable hypotheses and goals, thorough documentation, rapid publication of results, and review of the program by independent referees be incorporated. Read more about the AZA Guidelines for Reintroduction of Animals.
IUCN/SSC Re-Introduction Specialist Group
The Re-Introduction Specialist Group (RSG) promotes the reintroduction of viable populations of animals and plants back to their natural ecosystems, contributing to conservation efforts worldwide. The RSG manages a network of global voluntary members to provide re-introduction practitioners with tools such as re-introduction guidelines, networking resources and publications to provide a means for distributing information on re-introduction projects.
Avian Reintroduction and Translocation Database
In 2008, the Lincoln Park Zoo established an Avian Reintroduction and Translocation Database (ARTD) that centralizes information about 128 species of birds, 405 release sites worldwide, and 1,207 wildlife release events. The database describes every aspect of the reintroduction effort for each species including the variables that impact the efficacy of releases, species biology and ecology, habitat suitability, demography, and genetics.