VMD 512: Zoo/Wild Animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

POPULATION, BREEDING FOR CONSERVATION AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTION

Effective population size of Wild Animals in captivity/zoo/natural habitats

• The effective population size may be easily estimated in captivity or in zoo due to the provision of resources in a controlled manner. Economy, availability in the concerned season or period or locality etc will assist a lot in deciding about the effective population size of the targeted wild animal species.
• However in natural habitats the effective population size is to be associated with the carrying capacity of the habitat.
• Carrying capacity of a habitat for a particular species may be defined as the number of individuals of that population (species) which the concerned area/habitat can carry or support during the pinch period.
• Population size may be adjusted in nature by several decimating factors that are existing in the environment. Whenever species abundance is present (species exceeding the optimum numbers and density) through breeding-potential and productivity of the species, wildlife disease becomes one of the significant decimating factor in nature. Example are the occurrence of FMD, anthrax, botulism, brucellosis, rabies, distemper, haemorrhagic septicemia, black quarter etc. Similarly, predation as well as the adverse climate may lead to casualty of the species, in addition to human interference as the case with strayed wild animals, stress, starvation, movement related activities etc.