Zoos rethink matchmaking tactics for endangered species
<p><span word="Download">Download</span></p><p><span word="Like">Like</span> <span word="online">online</span> <span word="dating">dating</span> <span word="sites">sites</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="endangered">endangered</span> <span word="species">species</span>, <span word="many">many</span> <span word="zoos">zoos</span> <span word="use">use</span> <span word="computerized">computerized</span> <span word="matchmaking">matchmaking</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="mate">mate</span> <span word="animals">animals</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="captivity">captivity</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="hopes">hopes</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="saving">saving</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="world">world</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="vulnerable">vulnerable</span> <span word="creatures">creatures</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="tools">tools</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="trade">trade</span> <span word="range">range</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="frozen">frozen</span> <span word="panda">panda</span> <span word="sperm">sperm</span> <span word="through">through</span> <span word="genetic">genetic</span> <span word="databases">databases</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="ultrasounds">ultrasounds</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="hefty">hefty</span> <span word="rhinos">rhinos</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="dating">dating</span> <span word="everywhere">everywhere</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="expensive">expensive</span>, <span word="complicated">complicated</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="doesn">doesn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="work">work</span>.</p><p><span word="After">After</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="three">three</span> <span word="decades">decades</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="efforts">efforts</span>, <span word="some">some</span> <span word="experts">experts</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="taking">taking</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="fresh">fresh</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="modern">modern</span> <span word="breeding">breeding</span> <span word="tactics">tactics</span>. <span word="Zoos">Zoos</span>, <span word="they">they</span> <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="cannot">cannot</span> <span word="keep">keep</span> <span word="pace">pace</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="high">high</span> <span word="costs">costs</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="shipping">shipping</span> <span word="animals">animals</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="facility">facility</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="another">another</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="loss">loss</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="wild">wild</span> <span word="habitat">habitat</span> <span word="pushes">pushes</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="creatures">creatures</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="brink">brink</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="extinction">extinction</span>.</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="movement">movement</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="improve">improve</span> <span word="captive">captive</span> <span word="breeding">breeding</span> <span word="began">began</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="late">late</span> 1970<span word="s">s</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="realized">realized</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="zoo">zoo</span>-<span word="held">held</span> <span word="baby">baby</span> <span word="giraffes">giraffes</span>, <span word="gazelles">gazelles</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="deer">deer</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="likely">likely</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="die">die</span> <span word="if">if</span> <span word="inbred">inbred</span>.</p><p>"<span word="That">That</span> <span word="really">really</span> <span word="caused">caused</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sea">sea</span> <span word="change">change</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="zoos">zoos</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="realized">realized</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="better">better</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="managing">managing</span> <span word="captive">captive</span> <span word="populations">populations</span>," <span word="said">said</span> <span word="David">David</span> <span word="Wildt">Wildt</span>, <span word="head">head</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Center">Center</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="Species">Species</span> <span word="Survival">Survival</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Smithsonian">Smithsonian</span> <span word="National">National</span> <span word="Zoo">Zoo</span>.</p><p><span word="Today">Today</span>, <span word="survival">survival</span> <span word="plans">plans</span> <span word="exist">exist</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="more">more</span> <span word="than">than</span> 500 <span word="species">species</span>, <span word="including">including</span> <span word="cheetahs">cheetahs</span>, <span word="Asian">Asian</span> <span word="elephants">elephants</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="black">black</span>-<span word="footed">footed</span> <span word="ferrets">ferrets</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="genetic">genetic</span> <span word="data">data</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="captive">captive</span> <span word="specimens">specimens</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="fed">fed</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="computers">computers</span> <span word="so">so</span> <span word="scientists">scientists</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="determine">determine</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="diverse">diverse</span> <span word="matches">matches</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="each">each</span> <span word="individual">individual</span>.</p><p><span word="Sometimes">Sometimes</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="plans">plans</span> <span word="work">work</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="scimitar">scimitar</span>-<span word="horned">horned</span> <span word="oryx">oryx</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="graceful">graceful</span> <span word="African">African</span> <span word="antelope">antelope</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="declared">declared</span> <span word="extinct">extinct</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wild">wild</span> <span word="in">in</span> 2000 <span word="due">due</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="overhunting">overhunting</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="habitat">habitat</span> <span word="loss">loss</span>.</p>
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