Abstract

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums spends a great deal of time tackling the issue of population sustainability. AZA professionals are dedicated to maintaining and increasing the numbers of animals in our collections through careful planning. However, there are other key components to sustainability. What if there was an outbreak of a foreign animal disease that threatened our collections? What if a disease was detected in wildlife or agricultural species close to your zoo? How would that impact the day-to-day operations of your facility? Is it possible that disease management would involve quarantine, preventing movement of animals for breeding? And finally, the most frightening aspect: is it possible that depopulation of genetically valuable zoological specimens would be required to manage a disease outbreak? This talk will focus on unique sustainability concerns in the face of disease threats. Templates from other animal industries will be introduced, which could serve as models for a unified approach to zoological sustainability in the face of foreign animal disease outbreaks.