Learn all about the Species Survival Plan in this Bitesize Bonus episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
READ AUDIO TRANSCRIPT
VIGNETTE (00:00)
EMILY BISHOP: Since the late 90s, the online dating industry has boomed. Starting with Match.com in 1995, it’s an industry that’s expanded to thousands of sites.
Swipe left or right to find your perfect match on Tinder. Meet that special someone on Hinge, which sells itself as “The Dating App Designed to be Deleted.” Or connect on the Shark Tank funded website “Coffee Meets Bagel.”
According to Pew Research Center, three-in-ten adults in the U.S. have used a dating app or site. And one-in-ten adults met their current partner through online dating.
But for all the praise online dating has received, there are just as many critiques. A study by Forbes found that that using swipe-based dating apps significantly raised individuals’ psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. And only 48% of individuals polled by Pew Research Center said that online dating was a “Safe way to meet people.” That’s less than half.
All this strife over finding the perfect match is driving some people to turn to more traditional means of finding a partner- matchmaking.
When you picture a Matchmaker, you’re probably picturing a character like Yente from Fiddler on the Roof- the Matchmaker Tevye’s daughters sing about in one of the musical’s most well-known numbers.
ORIGINAL CAST OF FIDDLER ON THE ROOF: Matchmaker, Matchmaker make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch.
BISHOP: But matchmaking has been modernized over the years. So, what does a matchmaker do in this day and age?
Usually, there’s an interview with the matchmaker, then the matchmaker might collect references from friends and family, even do a house tour. From there, they’ll begin to, well, make matches. The whole process is very methodical- cut and dry.
But it’s not just people that can go through the matchmaking process. Animals are also more or less paired up by matchmakers. And while the requirements and processes may look a little different with a Zoo Matchmaking than a Human Matchmaking, the goal is the same- to make a perfect match.
INTRO (02:11)
BISHOP: Hello, and welcome to the Sedgwick County ZooCast Bitesize Bonus.
I’m your host, Emily Bishop, and in this mini episode we’re giving you the Zoo Scoop on the Species Survival Plan.
WHAT IS THE SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN? (02:31)
BISHOP: The Species Survival Plan, or SSP, is a program that manages species populations in Zoos and Aquariums that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Through this program, plans are made to identify population goals and to make breeding recommendations to ensure the population stays genetically diverse.
What does that mean? Well, for each species that is part of the SSP, there is a studbook keeper. A studbook is just an official list of all the animals within a species. It tracks each individual’s parents, partners, and offspring. Think of it as a sort of family tree but for an entire species.
The studbook keeper maintains this list of individuals and along with an SSP Coordinator makes breeding recommendations to maximize genetic diversity. This ensures that all individuals are well represented, but not over represented, in a population.
For example, you wouldn’t want only one male being responsible for 70% of existing individuals in a population. This would result in eventual inbreeding, which is something you want to avoid.
So, the SSP ensures that the pairs that are approved for breeding are genetically diverse and not directly related.
There are more than 300 SSP Programs, and the goal of each of them is to sustain a genetically diverse, healthy, and demographically varied population within AZA facilities.
HOW THE SSP HELPS ZOO’S WILD COUNTERPARTS (04:10)
BISHOP: The Species Survival Program doesn’t just take Zoo animals into account- it often considers a wild population as well.
The program focuses on animals that are in danger of extinction, and where captive breeding will aid their chances of survival. So, for example, Aldabra Giant Tortoises, which are at a stable wild population, don’t have SSP breeding recommendations. The breeding habits of the Tortoises aren’t really monitored. By contrast, the Cuban Crocodile, which is critically endangered, does have SSP breeding recommendations and their breeding habits and populations are closely monitored.
The SSP ensures that should a wild species become extinct, there still exists a population in Zoos, which could be used to aid in repopulation. For example, the Guam Kingfisher is a bird species that is currently extinct in the wild. But through SSP breeding recommendations has seen its numbers increase in Zoos, and currently projects are underway to aid in reintroducing this bird to the wild.
Many reintroduction programs have grown from the SSP. The black-footed ferret, Karner blue butterfly, California condor, and red wolf are just a few species that have had successful reintroductions from breeding programs.
Thanks to the matchmakers at the Species Survival Program, the continued survival of endangered animals is a guarantee. And as the program succeeds with each breeding season, these species come one step closing to reaching a stable population.
LEARN ABOUT WINTER WEDNESDAY (05:48)
BISHOP: That’s what’s new at Zoo with the Species Survival Program. But keep listening after a brief message about how you can save money when visiting the Zoo to learn about how animals can sire offspring without ever leaving their home.
Every Wednesday from November through February enjoy Winter Wednesday at the Zoo. Admission is discounted all day.
Maybe watch your favorite animals frolic in the snow, step into the Tropics building to warm up, or sip on a cup of cocoa from the Beastro.
Additional information can be found at scz.org
Bundle up and come on down to the Sedgwick County Zoo for a Wild Winter Wednesday.
HOW ANIMALS CAN BREED LONG-DISTANCE (06:40)
BISHOP: When making a match with the Species Survival Program, all animals at all AZA facilities are taken into consideration. But what if the individuals that match aren’t geographically close to each other?
Well, often times, they get from one place to another the same way you would – via road trip.
Smaller animals are easier to transfer, you can fit a turtle or ferret in a standard car- a compact car even. But what about the larger animals? How do you transfer a bear or an elephant?
Sometimes, the transferring animal can go into specially designed cabins that are then loaded onto semi-trucks. Yes- the next time you pass an eighteen-wheeler on the highway, for all you know it might be transporting a giraffe or rhino.
But the animals aren’t always transferred in order to mate. Through semen collection, a single male can sire multiple offspring at multiple locations. Artificial insemination opens more avenues to possible breeding pairs, without the logistics of animal transportation and re-homing factoring in.
Titan- one of the Bull Elephants at Sedgwick County Zoo is originally from Eswatini, in Africa. Stateside, he’s only lived at SCZ. But he does have one offspring at the Indianapolis Zoo. Born to Zahara in September 2023, Jabari was conceived through artificial insemination, just like his mother.
This makes Jabari the first elephant conceived through artificial insemination to be born to an elephant that was also conceived through artificial insemination.
OUTRO (08:25)
BISHOP: Thanks for listening to this Bitesize Bonus episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
For more information on the Species Survival Program, be sure to follow us on social media, which is linked in the description of this episode. And check out our website: scz.org
I’ve been Emily Bishop, and we hope you enjoyed this mini episode of the Sedgwick County ZooCast.
