Are private owners really that critical to conservation work?
Zoos have limited space for housing animals. That means they have to choose which animals are to be included in captive breeding programs. Since they also have an obligation to bring in visitors, the majority of spaces go not to the most critically endangered animals, or the animals most likely to be able to be re-introduced, or even to the animals most important for maintaining a healthy in situ ecosystem, they go to the species that draw crowds. Private owners are not always operating under those same obligations. They are key in the effort to save many of the species otherwise being ignored. Zoos are not always the best place to breed animals, even endangered species, because of space limitations and the need for keeping animals on public display in situations that may not be optimal for breeding. Sanctuaries and other private facilities that are not open to the public can and do fill this necessary species survival niche, as the Feline Conservation Federation and the AZA’s own Feli
