Modern breeding programmes are about more than just producing as many offspring as possible!
By managing animals as a larger population rather than small, individual groups, we can keep a more demographically stable and genetically diverse population. The aim of a breeding programme is to have and maintain healthy and thriving populations of animals within Europe and beyond. This also creates more opportunities to contribute to conservation.
In Europe, these programmes are called Ex-situ Programmes (EEPs) and are managed by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). These EEPs contribute directly to species conservation. For some, the EEP may be the only way to avoid extinction. They use science nd sophisticated record-keeping systems to plan the best way to manage a populaiton, and give recomendations for animals to move or stay, breed or refain from breeding.
EAZA currently manages EEPs for over 500 different species.
As of February 2025, we support the following programmes:
Grevy's Zebra
Ring-Tailed Lemur
De Brazza's Monkey
White-Faced Saki
Von Der Deckens Hornbill
Hamerkop
Yellow-Headed Gecko
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