Recently, it has been confirmed that Kalia (a killer whale at SeaWorld) is pregnant with her first calf. Unfortunately, animal activists are speculating that SeaWorld is just adding to their “inventory” of killer whales. However, it is very important to understand why there are breeding programs in most zoos and aquariums.
Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (including SeaWorld), participate in a cooperative program called “Species Survival Plan” (SSP). The mission of this program, created by the AZA, is to manage the populations of specific species, which are or will be threatened and endangered.
Since the time the SSP has been introduced into zoological facilities, numerous benefits have come from breeding species in human settings. For instance, through observation, we have learned about mating habits, gestation periods and baby development in the womb, and when baby animals are born, nursing habits and how long they will remain with their mothers. Gorilla keepers at the Toronto Zoo have learned that baby gorillas will stay attached to their mothers and nurse from them until fours years of age. The collected information can then be shared with facilities participating in the SSP, and can then be used as an educational tool to the public.
One of the biggest achievements that came out of the SSP was restoring the endangered Tarahumara Frog species. By breeding of the endangered frogs in human care, zoos were able to keep the species alive and then released them into the wild. Through more trial and error and research, the same can be done on larger animal species, like the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger.
Based on the current success of the SSP, it is clear that it is not a breeding program used to restock animals for entertainment, but to truly better our research and conservation efforts of animal species. Kalia, the pregnant whale at SeaWorld, is helping to enrich our understanding of calf development, and how we can restore the killer whale species should they become endangered. The SSP truly is a conservational tool to preserving the threatened species of the world!