The Value of Ex Situ Cetacean Populations in Understanding Reproductive Physiology and Developing Assisted Reproductive Technology for Ex Situ and In Situ Species Management and Conservation Efforts
Sea World and Busch Gardens Reproductive Research Center, U. S. A. Copyright 2010 by the International Society for Comparative Psychology
Wild cetacean populations have uncertain futures in the face of shifting climate conditions and the continued encroachment of their unique ecosystem by human activities. Core conservation efforts focus on habitat protection and understanding the natural ecology of a species, but such efforts are incomplete without a comprehensive understanding of a species’ physiology. Ex situ populations of cetaceans provide a unique opportunity to collect this physiological data, and thereby serve as an important component of any conservation effort.
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