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Species Survival Plan and Taxon Advisory Group
The elephant Species Survival Plan began in 1985 as a cooperative program to manage the elephant population in North American zoos. Administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the elephant SSP’s goal is to maintain a healthy, sustainable captive population that is both genetically and demographically stable by managing breeding protocols among member zoos.
The Oregon Zoo’s deputy director, Mike Keele, is the species coordinator for elephants. He also chairs the steering committee of the elephant Taxon Advisory Group, comprised of elephant experts within the zoo community. The TAG/SSP manages the captive elephant population by recommending breeding and transfers. Additionally, the TAG/SSP oversees population management, reviews research and education proposals, and develops husbandry manuals, which set standards based on current scientific knowledge in the areas of diet, housing, enrichment and care of elephants in zoos.
In addition to the SSP coordinator, two “studbook keepers” maintain the vital records of the entire captive population of both species (African and Asian), including births, deaths, transfers and lineages. Keele authored the original studbook for Asian elephants, and continually updates it with new information.
Using the studbook, the management group creates a master plan that outlines the goals for the entire North American populations of both African and Asian elephants. It designs a “family tree” for each captive elephant in order to plan breeding for maximum genetic diversity. In addition to the recommendations about which elephants are most important to breed, master plans include recommendations to avoid breeding elephants that already have many offspring and siblings in the populations.
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