![]() Diseases of the cardiovascular system specifically, were identified as being associated with significant proportional mortality. This mortality review identified the main causes of death within each taxa and age group, and allowed for a series of recommendations about future disease investigation and monitoring to be generated. Such a review of data relating to 681 great ape deaths was therefore performed and is outlined in Chapter 2 of this thesis. It concluded that there was a critical need for an up-to-date review of zoo-housed great ape mortality, especially among the European population, to be carried out. Chapter 1 of this thesis outlines a systematic review of 189 published articles relating to the topic of great ape morbidity and mortality (Strong et al. A sound understanding about their health and welfare forms a critical part of their custodianship. For permissions, please e-mail: apes housed in zoological collections have an important role to play in conservation. However, when captive animals are released back into the wild, we recommend that efforts should be made to preserve natural phylogeographic structure. Although restricting crosses to individuals within the same haplogroup would preserve the phylogeographic structure present in the wild, careful management of captive populations is required to minimize the risk of drift and inbreeding. However, the majority of captive gorilla matings have occurred between individuals with different haplogroup affiliations. Levels of haplotype diversity are also comparable to those found in wild populations. We show that the current captive population contains all major mitochondrial lineages found within wild western lowland gorillas. To address these questions, we combined 379 pedigree records with data from 52 mitochondrial sequences to infer individual haplogroup affiliations, geographical origin of wild founders and instances of inter-breeding between haplogroups in the United States captive gorilla population. Furthermore, although previous mitochondrial analyses have shown that free-range gorilla populations exhibit substantial regional differentiation, nothing is known of the extent to which this variation has been preserved in captive populations. When comparing the results from both populations it would appear that the application of strict breeding policies in the SSP for a few years had a noticeable impact on the SSP demographic results.Īlthough captive populations of western gorilla have been maintained in the United States for over a century, little is known about the geographic origins and genetic composition of the current zoo population. However, the results of the demographic analyses for the SSP population show a general tendency for population reduction that is, a finite growth rate of λ = 0♹92, an instantaneous rate of growth rate r = -0♰08 and a net reproductive rate of R0 = 0♸64. The results of the demographic analyses show that the EEP population is growing, demonstrating positive life parameters for example, a finite growth rate of λ = 1♰07, an instantaneous growth rate of r = 0♰07 and a net reproductive rate of R0 = 1♱60. ![]() Genetic and demographic analyses were carried out using PMx software. The data have been gathered from the 2014 international studbook and data registered in the Single Population Analysis and Records Keeping System (Sparks). This paper presents the results of the genetic and demographic analysis of EAZA and AZA populations of the Western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla, considering the individuals registered since the beginning of the studbook (1950) until 2014, and the analyses are mainly focused on the results for both populations around the last decade. ![]() Demographic and genetic analyses of these data are carried out to monitor population development. gorilla Savage & Wyman, 1847, which is updated annually. ![]() These populations are all registered in the International Studbook for the Western Lowland Gorilla Gorilla g. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in the United States has similarly worked through the Species Survival Plan (SSP). Since the late 1990s, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA)-member zoos have worked collaboratively to achieve a self-sustaining population for gorilla through the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
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