A Species Survival Plan (SSP) is a behind-the-scenes tool employed by zoos and aquariums to manage and promote the health of the entire population of a species in human care. By tracking genetics and making strategic decisions about where to move individuals in the interest of forming healthy breeding pairs, SSPs make top-down decisions in the interest of an entire species’ well-being.
At the same time, however, SSP decision can be a bittersweet pill to swallow for the devoted caretakers who form bonds, often deep ones, with the animals with which they work. Some day, those animals could be sent to another facility by an SSP decision, a move which can tug on a caretaker’s heartstrings, even if that sadness is blunted by the knowledge that a relocation is being called for in the interest of making the entire population more robust.
Want to see how a recent SSP-prompted move helped provide much needed companionship for the Aquarium’s lonely male Red-collared Brown Lemur? Check out this video to meet Kintana, a female Red-collared Brown who recently relocated to the Aquarium from the Dallas Zoo thanks to the species’ SSP.
Episode Cast
- Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist, host and SSP novice
- Bill Hughes, herpetology collection coordinator
- Loribeth Lee, assistant curator of forests
- Maggie Sipe, lead animal care specialist (Ocean Journey)
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