Amur leopards, a fig-loving bat and critically endangered monkeys are among the top 10 mammals avoiding extinction with the help of zoos.
The list was announced as ZSL London Zoo welcomed two new female mangabey monkeys, one of the rarest primates in the world and which features in the top 10, from Dublin Zoo to boost the breeding programme for the endangered species.
There are only around 50 wild Amur leopards in the world but zoos are working towards the first big cat reintroduction with animals which have been bred in captivity, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Biaz) said.
The list drawn up by Biaza to highlight the conservation work of zoos includes the Grevy’s zebra, a species found in northern Kenya which was at risk of an anthrax outbreak. Zoos worked to fund and administer large-scale vaccination programmes.
Also in the top 10 are the western lowland gorilla, the Sumatran tiger, which has less than 400 individuals in the wild, and the Livingstone’s fruit bat, one of the largest species of bat in the world but with less than 1,100 wild-living individuals.
The critically endangered San Martin titi monkey is not kept in zoos, but research and funding from zoos has supported the only conservation project for the species in its Peruvian habitat, influencing the designation of protected areas, Biaza said.
Andrew Marshall, of Biaza’s field programmes committee, who co-ordinated the compilation of the list, said: “Last year, Biaza published a report on the top 10 species most reliant on zoos which highlighted the work being done by zoos across all taxonomic groups to help safeguard their survival.
“This year, we have focused on 0 prevailing examples of mammals that zoos are working to save from extinction.
“It was a really tough choice this year as there were so many likely contenders, but we have some incredible species with amazing conservation stories.”
He added: “Modern zoos are evolving and improving rapidly and increasingly are acting as the driving forces behind major conservation, research and education initiatives.”
All the species on the list had to be considered endangered, critically endangered or extinct in the wild and be associated with current initiatives out in the field by zoos.
Top 10 mammals most reliant on zoos
• Amur leopard: one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world, with less than 50 individuals in the wild.
• Blue-eyed black lemur: a critically endangered species restricted to a small area of Madagascar.
• Scimitar-horned oryx: a type of antelope which is extinct in the wild and dependent on captive breeding for survival.
• Sumatran tiger: only around 300 to 400 individuals are left in the wild.
• San Martin titi monkey: a critically endangered primate found in Peru.
• Grevy’s zebra: has seen one of the biggest reductions in its range and numbers of any African mammal.
•Livingstone’s fruit bat: one of the largest bat species in the world, but with less than 1,100 individuals left in the wild.
• Pied tamarind: the most endangered Amazonian primate, found in a very small region of Brazil.
•White-naped mangabey: listed as one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.
• Western lowland gorilla: under threat of extinction from specialist hunting and habitat loss.