Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo hosts the Population Management Center (PMC) in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Established in June 2000, the center provides assistance to zoo professionals across the country by conducting demographic and genetic analyses and preparing breeding and transfer plans for Species Survival Plan® (SSP) and Population Management Plan (PMP) species. Operational support for the center is provided by the AZA, Rice Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Lincoln Park Zoo.

In their management of captive animals, zoos and aquariums focus on the long-term maintenance of healthy populations in conjunction with education and conservation goals. Cooperative, scientific population management is critical to the long-term sustainability of most zoo and some aquarium animal collections.

Science-based population management ensures that zoo and aquarium collections meet the following standards:

* They’re maintained at the sizes necessary to meet the conservation and education missions of each species
* They retain the highest possible levels of genetic diversity
* They will not grow beyond the zoo and aquarium community's ability to care for them.

The PMC employs five full-time staff: Director Sarah Long leads daily operations and supervises Studbook Analyst Rachel Low and Associate Population Biologists Kristine Schad, Katelyn Marti and Cara Groome. Steven D. Thompson, Ph.D., vice president for conservation programs and Emily and John Alexander Chair of Conservation and Science at Lincoln Park Zoo, provides administrative and financial oversight for the center. Former PMC staffer Colleen Lynch serves as a consulting population biologist

Working closely with staff from the zoo’s Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology and the Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology, the PMC staff participates in the development and evaluation of population management software, evaluates disease risks and/or reproductive status, and models the impact of potential management strategies on population size and structure.

To schedule planning assistance for an AZA TAG, SSP or PMP, please contact Studbook Analyst Rachel Low. For information on PMC financial and administrative oversight, please contact Steven D. Thompson, Ph.D.

In the month of Septebmer 2010, the PMC will be assisting:

21 SSPs (Polar Bear, Red-capped Mangabey, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Virgin Islands Boa, Ring-tailed Lemur, Snow Leopard, Chimpanzee, Nocturnal Prosimian (14 species), Guam Micronesian Kingfisher, Fennec Fox, Black-footed Ferret, Pygmy Hippo, Sand Cat, American Burying Beetle, Swift Fox, African Wild Dog, Congo Peafowl, Orangutan, Red Wolf, Peccary Chacoan, Louisiana Pine Snake)

8 PMPs (Prehensile-tailed Skink, Tammar Wallaby, Jamaican Boa, North American River Otter, Red-fronted Macaw, Bearded Emperor Tamarin, Blue-gray Tanager, Yellow-rumped Cacique)

Planning Meetings in September:

Swift Fox at AZA Annual Conference in Houston
African Wild Dog at AZA Annual Conference in Houston
North American River Otter at AZA Annual Conference in Houston
Congo Peafowl at AZA Annual Conference in Houston
Jamaican Boa at AZA Annual Conference in Houston
Orangutan via Email
Red-fronted Macaw at LPZ

Currently in review by participating institutions are Draft Breeding and Transfer Plans for
12 SSPs
1 PMP

Upcoming Planning Meetings:

October: Calamian Deer, Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo, Asian Small-clawed Otter, Southern Bald Ibis, Waldrapp Ibis, White-winged Wood Duck, Rock Hyrax, Burrowing Owl

November: PM Courses in Wheeling, VW, Egyptian Tortoise, Parma Wallaby,

Since the PMC started in June 2000, we have:
Produced Final Breeding and Transfer Plans for:
107 SSP programs - 342 reports
(93% of total AZA SSP species)

154 PMP programs - 294 reports
(48% of total AZA PMP species)

Assisted Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs) with the development of
21 TAGs - 31 RCP analyses
(45% of AZA TAGs)

Validated North American regional studbooks resulting in
470 Validated Studbooks
1152 Total Validations

Distributed reports for a total of
692 Reports (SSPs, PMPs, RCPs, etc.)
300 Programs

Involvement with 591 different programs (some analyses not necessarily resulting in a final report)

Staff changes at the PMC – March 2010

Anne Oiler has left her position in the PMC to complete a teaching degree and eventually become a high school science teacher. The PMC has hired Katelyn Marti to fill the remaining 1 ½ years of the grant-funded Associate Population Biologist position previously filled by Anne. This position is part of an Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) grant awarded to Lincoln Park Zoo to create a monitoring system to evaluate the outcomes of management recommendations made in PMP and SSP breeding and transfer plans (“PMCTrack”). Katelyn will serve as an additional population biologist for AZA populations to offset PMC staff time spent on the PMCTrack project. Katelyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Biology at University of Illinois in Urbana and recently completed her M.S. at Eastern Illinois University. Best wishes to Anne and a warm welcome to Katelyn!

Staff changes at the PMC – May 2010

The Population Management Center has hired Rachel Low as Studbook Analyst. As always for this position, Rachel’s primary role is to serve as the first PMC contact for Association of Zoo and Aquariums (AZA) conservation programs, helping studbook keepers produce clean databases and assisting Population Management Plan and Species Survival Plan program leaders throughout the entire population planning process.

Rachel comes to the PMC from another part of the Lincoln Park Zoo – she was previously an intern in the Alexander Center for Population Biology, where she became familiar with much of the PMC process while working on the PMCTrack software project that will monitor recommendation outcomes from PMPs and SSPs. Rachel holds a Bachelor in Science in biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Loyola University in Chicago.

Please welcome Rachel and feel free to contact her (rlow@lpzoo.org) or other PMC staff with any of your studbook needs or questions about PMPs, SSPs, or population planning.

Last Updated: 2 September 2010

Preparing for an SSP or PMP Planning Meeting
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in PopLink 2.1
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in PopLink 1.3
Sending and Receiving Studbooks in SPARKS

Ballou, J., Lees, C., Faust, L., Long, S., Lynch, C., Bingaman-Lackey, L., and Foost, T. 2010. Demographic and Genetic management of captive populations for conservation. Wild Mammals in Captivity. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.

Lynch, C. 2005. Social behavior of the Guinea baboon. AZA Baboon SSP Husbandry Manual. Wildlife Conservation Society, New York. In press.

Earnhardt, J.M., Thompson, S.D. and Schad, K. 2004. Strategic planning for captive population: projecting changes in genetic diversity. Animal Conservation, 7: 9-16.

Eifler, D., Schad, K., Ray, J., and McInnes, L. 2004. Anti-predator behavior and habitat selection for three nonindigenous Hemidactylus geckos in Florida. Herpetological Review, 35(4):391-392.

Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Designing a captive breeding plan with real world constraints. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 63-67.

Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Implementing alternative captive breeding strategies. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 57-61.

Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Managing gene diversity in captive populations. A workbook in conservatin biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 49-56.

Long, S., Lynch, C. and Van Dyke, F. 2003. Simple pedigree analysis. A workbook in conservation biology: solving practical problems in conservation, 1-47.

Lynch, C. 2000. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.

Lynch, C. 1999. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.

Lynch, C. 1998. San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike studbook. Zoological Society of San Diego, San Diego, California.