Whipsnade Zoo champions conservation with breeding programme and reversing extinction
From breeding endangered species to welcoming a particular animal for the first time in 60 years, the zoo’s expert team shares the vital work happening behind the scenes
Whipsnade Zoo is helping bring back extinct species with its ongoing breeding programmes. Through carefully managed conservation projects and unique local initiatives, the zoo is helping to change the fortunes of animals both near and far.
Sarah Forsyth, who oversees the care of mammals at Whipsnade, describes the crucial work: “We have a huge number of species at the zoo that are part of conservation breeding programmes and the role is to ensure a healthy genetic population that one day, if possible, we can reintroduce back into the wild when it's safe to do so.”
She notes the wider impact and success of zoo breeding, highlighting, “There's been success stories already, like the Scimitar horned oryx which was extinct in the wild, but because of zoos, is now back in the wild.”
The zoo’s programmes are carefully tailored to the needs of each species, with staff constantly monitoring the animals’ health and ensuring the best possible care. “Being able to monitor the health of the animals in our zoos ensures that they're healthy enough to breed, and then once they do get pregnant, being able to ensure that we give them the best care during that time is really important in saving them from extinction.” Forsyth explains.
Many animals bred at Whipsnade are paired with genetically suitable partners at other zoos to maintain diversity and healthy populations across Europe and beyond. While not every species can be released into the wild due to ongoing threats in their natural habitats, the knowledge gained in the zoo has real-world conservation impacts. “From what we learn from looking after them in zoos, it can be then utilised for looking after species and individual animals in the wild as well,” adds Forsyth. “We know the general weight, say, of an African hunting dog, from all the weights we've gathered in zoos. We then know how to treat one out in the wild, which we can do much more accurately and smoothly with better results.”
Away from the spotlight, Whipsnade Zoo is also involved in local projects, such as breeding dormice for release into the wild in the UK—an effort that directly boosts wild populations. “Sometimes what visitors don't see is some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. So that's a very local conservation project working with the UK species and actually being able to release those animals straight back into the wild is really exciting for the team, and really contributing to the increasing numbers of dormice out in the wild in the UK.”
The conservation story doesn’t stop there. Whipsnade’s animal collection is always evolving, with arrivals and departures carefully coordinated for conservation impact. Recently, the zoo welcomed a South American tapir named Anna—the first tapir at the zoo in over 60 years. “She’s occupying the space where our common hippos used to be, so they actually went to Longleat as part of the conservation and breeding programme for their species,” Forsyth tells us. “Anna's come to the zoo, she's settling in really well and she's now out and about and in the enclosure exploring."
While the South American tapir is not currently as threatened as some other species, her presence at Whipsnade highlights the zoo’s education mission. “She is thankfully one of the less threatened species that we have at the zoo,” explains Forsyth. “But she's a really engaging species and she'll give us the opportunity to talk about some of the plights of other South American animals and also hopefully people will be able to learn about their very unique behaviours and the unique social aspects of a tapir.”