Captive breeding

Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that are being threatened by the effects of human activities such as climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation, overhunting or fishing, pollution, predation, disease, and parasitism.^[1]

For many species, relatively little is known about the conditions needed for successful breeding. Information about a species' reproductive biology may be critical to the success of a captive breeding program.^[2][3][4] In some cases a captive breeding program can save a species from extinction,^[5] but for success, breeders must consider many factors—including genetic, ecological, behavioral, and ethical issues. Most successful attempts involve the cooperation and coordination of many institutions. The efforts put into captive breeding can aid in education about conservation because species in captivity are closer to the public than their wild conspecifics.^[6] These accomplishments from the continued breeding of species for generations in captivity is also aided by extensive research efforts ex-situ and in-situ.^[6]