Socorro Dove — Johann Alexi/Freigabe-Nachweis, CC BY-SA
This article shows that captive breeding can save species from extinction. One of the species mentioned is the Socorro Dove (Zenaida graysoni).
During an expedition in 1925, birds of this species were caught for the first time for aviculture in the USA and Europe. In a 1990 study, it turned out that the population in the USA contained a lot of hybrids of the Socorro Dove and the Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura). EAZA founded the EEP from the European population which was still pure (including birds from private collections).
Aviornis started a project for the Socorro Dove in 2009 with 12 birds. These birds were DNA tested to verify their species purity and to determine how close they were related to each other. An inventory in 2008 showed that less than 20 pairs were kept by Aviornis members. In 2010 this number had already risen to 54 pairs! Interest in the species has since gone down. One reason could be that the male can be very aggressive towards the female, which makes it more difficult to breed the Socorro Dove.
The Frankfurt Zoo manages the studbook for this species.
See the full article here
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