Many species of animals can only be seen in zoos.

Countless species in the animal and plant kingdom are in danger of extinction. Some are only found in zoos or seed banks. Experts are now sounding the alarm.

Bringing back dozens of endangered species that are only seen in zoos and similar institutions is a huge challenge. “Despite heroic efforts, failure is as common as success,” said the scientist. donation Smith of the London Institute related to zoology (ZSL) according to a statement.

Smith, along with his colleagues, published in the journal «Science» Inventory of 84 animal and plant species to be included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) were considered extinct in the wild and were only found in zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens or seed banks.

Less watched and often overlooked genres

“Without the conservation efforts of these private organizations, we would already have species such as the sable antelope (Oryx Dammah), several Polynesian tree snails and yellow-flowered snails. toromiro It “disappeared”, Smith says, referring to species that no longer exist in the wild. cases like this European bison showed equalSpecies that were once confined to a small population under human care could be reintroduced into the wild thanks to appropriate projects.

Of some of the recorded species there are only a few thousand animals or plants living in human captivity, while for others only a handful remain. According to the researchers, the species is less watched and often overlooked because more focus is placed on threatened species found in the wild. This is also illustrated by the fact that eleven species under human care have gone extinct since 1950. Only twelve of them could regain their wild animal or plant status. Smith and colleagues call for substantial strengthening of species conservation in this area.

“It’s a Herculean task”

By their own admission, this is the first of its kind comprehensive inventory. This The researchers found that some of the 40 animal and 44 plant species identified as endangered on the Red List were misclassified in various ways, thus reducing the number slightly. But in general, they come to a clear conclusion. There are many ways to prevent extinction in nature or to bring back species lost there, and we “have to catch them”.

“Reintroducing all extinct species in the wild is a Herculean task, and ultimately that’s what all zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and seed banks around the world strive for,” admits co-author Axel. moehrenschlager From the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based gland VD is only one. In the face of the climate crisis and losses biodiversity, these facilities will become even more important in the future. (SDA/jmh)

Source : Blick