Status of Feline Species in Captivity

When Ulysses Seal first proposed the concept of Species Survival Plans in 1982, it was scientifically determined that to sustain captive populations, a minimum number of living individuals would be needed to maintain genetic diversity into the next century. That number was determined to be 250.
 
Up to that point zoos traditionally housed animals captured from the wild and didn’t concentrate on captive breeding. However the creation of the protected status of endangered species, and the increasing expense and red tape of importing wild-caught specimens demanded that zoological facilities change the way they did business.
 
The purpose of a Species Survival Plan is to maintain species populations in captivity so that removal of species from the wild is avoided. However almost all of these breeding programs have to continue to periodically infuse imported wild-born felines to augment the limited genetics in captivity.

Species Survival Plans do not follow computer models.

It has been just over two decades since the SSP concept was initiated and there are about a dozen feline species managed in Species Survival Plans by AZA zoos. (Lion, three sub-species of tiger, Amur leopard, cheetah, clouded leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, ocelot, sand cat, fishing cat, black-footed cat, Pallas cat, Canada lynx.)  However, none of the feline species are allotted the amount of cage space needed to function in a sustainable manner according to the plan. 

The large charismatic felines such as the single sub-species of Krugeri lion and the three chosen sub-species of tigers (Amur, Indochinese, Sumatran) are given 150 cage spaces each spread over the AZA member zoos. Only the snow leopard and cheetah populations are allotted over 200 spaces. Many of these allotted spaces are currently filled by post reproductive animals or by animals that represent redundant genetics (for an example, 3 brothers are born where only one is needed for breeding to continue the genetics according to the SSP breeding plan) This lack of space actually causes a bottle neck preventing needed future breeding because there is no place to house the offspring.
 
The smaller felines such as fishing cat and Pallas' cat receive just 80 cage spaces, and more rare felines such as sand cat or black-footed cat populations are given just 50 cage spaces in all the nation's large zoos, but present populations of these species are about half that number.

Of the small cats, only the ocelot is allotted more then 100 cage spaces. The present ocelot population is largely a generic population slated by the SSP chairperson to be managed into extinction. SSP managers plan to import all new wild-caught ocelots from Brazil for a new breeding population for their exhibits.
 
In captive situations, the smaller the gene pool, the more challenging it is to maintain a viable population for perpetuity.  Every breeding plan is a challenge. Animals must be transported from facility to facility for breeding to increase genetic variation. This is stressful to the individual felines and many times conception is unsuccessful, as the animals must accept new surroundings and new partners. There is little room for mistakes, and each genetic opportunity lost can be catastrophic to the long-term management of a species' genetics. Increasingly, SSP managers are turning to high-tech answers, employing induced ovulation, artificial insemination and embryo transplants to compensate for the failure of compatibility of zoo felines.

Approximately 200 zoos and aquariums form the AZA trade-member association. Zoos are generally located in densely populated metropolitan areas, subject to noise, air, and water pollution, the threat of domestic terrorism, and the instabilities of uncertain economic times. Membership in AZA requires that participating zoos exhibit only those species listed on the menu of approved species, called a 'regional collection plan'. All other species held are to be managed into extinction, otherwise known as known as “POP – phase out population”, to maximize the amount of available cage space for the approved species.  This is necessary because so few collective holding spaces are available for species preservation.

Estimates on the cost of AZA zoo habitat range between $1,000,000 and $3,000,000 per acre. This is not only because zoos provide habitats made of concrete moats, concrete boulders and concrete trees, but it is also a reflection of the costs of providing for the comfort and entertainment needs of the visiting people, i.e., paved walkways, handicapped accessibility, public restrooms, restaurants, gift shops and parking lots, that are all required and add considerably to the overhead of maintaining captive animal collections for public exhibition. 
 
These expensive to operate facilities provide the educational viewing opportunities for millions of Americans daily. It is important for our society to have these opportunities, however it is not realistic to expect these captive felines to fulfill over 300,000,000 Americans’ wild animal viewing needs, and to successfully breed and rear offspring under such intense observation. In fact, in many cases, this mission is unfulfilled because of the associated stress-induced medical and behavioral problems caused by constant public display. 

Other captive populations and other facilities must exist.

There are over 2,000 federally licensed and inspected exhibitors, and breeders of exotic animals, and many non-commercial collections that are not USDA licensed, with a combined holding space for each species that is much greater than that of the AZA zoo members.

The privately owned zoos, animal collections, and breeding farms manage and hold much greater genetics for some similar species, and also hold several unique felid species not found in AZA municipal zoos. The cost of creating captive habitat for these kinds of facilities range in the tens of thousands of dollars per acre, which is much more affordable. This allows private facilities to economically provide for many more individual animals then the AZA zoo system.
 
The mosaic of private sector habitat consists of zoological facilities, exhibitors that perform educational outreach at schools or community events or stage shows, facilities that specialize in behavior conditioning to provide photo, television and movie industry animals, captive breeding centers, thousands of individuals who own felines for personal fulfillment, and a growing number of centers that specialize in providing habitat for felines that are displaced, abused, retired, or in need of re-homing due to a loss of former habitat for a variety of reasons.

Many private collections are able to manage several pairs of a felid species, a luxury that few AZA zoos cannot afford.  Private breeding centers usually pair their kittens, and allow the pairs to bond naturally and reproduce repeatedly. Offspring produced is dispersed to the many licensed facilities throughout the country. The sales of offspring enable breeding centers to maintain breeding colonies of felids. Genetically redundant offspring not required for future breeding stock fill the need for educational ambassadors, some being professional ambassadors, but most being privately owned pet exotics that act as good will ambassadors for the family, friends, and close community enviornment.

Loss of captive habitat threatens extinction of species 

Each of these types of captive habitat provide placement options necessary for the captive population of exotic felines species to remain stable. Over the past decade a dangerous trend to prohibit captive management and possession of felid species is threatening to render the populations unstable.

Legislators concerned with injuries, accidents, or animal welfare issues, have been pressured by powerful anti-animal organizations to prohibit captive husbandry and ownership of felid species, rather then deal with the more difficult task of writing legislation that protects feline welfare, and captive populations, and in doing so insures the vital habitat necessary to maintain these populations continues to exist.

This loss of captive habitat is the greatest threat to many species of felines and this loss of habitat will lead to extinction of species in captivity. And for some endangered felines such as Bengal tigers, captive habitat may be all that is saving them from total extinction.