Saving Species: Omaha Zoo’s conservation mission

Sitting down to talk to Dr. Doug Armstrong is a bit like how I imagine a conversation with a Proust scholar or a chess wizard would be. An expert within a specific, complex, and somewhat insular field, he bubbles with enthusiasm at the opportunity to share his knowledge with me, the average layperson.

Dr. Armstrong, Associate Director of Medicine and Research, is the head of a hardworking team at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Bill and Berniece Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research (CCR). He is passionate about conservation, and proud of the work he’s doing, as he should be. The scientists at CCR are part of a vast network that is working to ensure the survival of animal and plant species on our planet. No small task. They are planning and working for our future, while many of us are unaware of the Center’s existence in Omaha and the need for their line of work.

I count myself one of those previously unaware of the CCR, a 32,000 square foot, three-story complex with an animal hospital and student housing quarters. In fact, I have never even been to Henry Doorly, one of Omaha’s most prized destinations. I have a confession to make: zoos have a tendency to depress me. I love animals, but when I see them captive in their cages, strangers peering at them and occasionally making animal noises, it makes my heart sink. Surprisingly, one afternoon with Dr. Armstrong has permanently altered my perception. I now look at zoos through his eyes: facilities to house animals and conduct research in order to maintain the long-term viability of various species, in the event that in the future we may need to re-introduce species into the wild. As an attraction, the zoo is a way to educate visitors and generate revenue for the greater purpose of conservation. As Armstrong clearly states, “The fundamental mandate that zoos have, including ours, with regard to conservation is conserving genetically diverse small populations of species that are threatened with extinction in the wild.”

If, like me, what you most remember about biology is the time you accidentally released your fruit flies into the unsuspecting back row of class, then a quick refresher on genetics is in order. Genetic diversity means having animals with subtle differences in their DNA. While DNA has an effect on morphological traits such as hair and skin color, DNA also codes for behavior, immune system function, and all of the characteristics that allow us to adapt to our environment. If you think about it on a human (or dog) level, close breeding (or in-breeding) results not only in physical deformities, but also weaker immune systems and a lack of adaptability traits that leave species ill-equipped to sustain a viable population. Therefore, the Zoo tries to cultivate and maintain as much genetic diversity as possible.

After our involved conversation, Dr. Armstrong takes me on a tour of the Center. The Center has five areas of research: veterinary medicine, reproductive physiology, nutrition, molecular genetics and rare and endangered plants. As to be expected from scientists, the facility is very neat and well ordered, with separate labs devoted to each topic. First we pop into the nutrition lab. Most of their work involves improving the diets of their captive population to maintain optimal health. They are currently devising how to best feed frogs and toads. Their care has become vital as many of their species are threatened with extinction.

Reproductive Physiology
The reproductive physiology lab looks like your average, sterile lab. Its plain appearance belies the fascinating work that occurs here, such as assisted reproduction, artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, embryo transfer and test tube babies. Assisted reproduction is used as a tool to manage genetic diversity more efficiently and effectively. The program has had some major successes; as claimed on their website, they helped to create the first test tube gorilla, produced the first artificially inseminated and test tube tigers and they continue to lead reproduction efforts in captive gorillas.

Henry Doorly is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan Program (SSP), whose mission is to “help ensure the survival of selected wildlife species.” It is a cooperative of accredited zoos across the nation, dedicated to population management and conservation. The SSP gives yearly recommendations on how to best create genetic diversity. For example, they may find that a specific tiger from the Omaha Zoo should mate with a certain tiger at the San Diego Zoo. Then the zoos discuss and decide which zoo will fly their animal out to mate with the other. So, every year animals fly across the country as part of a bizarre mating match-up game. I hear this and wonder how long it will be until this is made into a reality series. Seriously though, these transfers can be expensive, create a fair amount of stress on the animals, and are not guaranteed to work. Scientifically the matches may make sense and may be necessary, but mating habits don’t rely purely on science, and some animals just don’t mesh well.

Now imagine how much easier and more efficient it would be for a zoo to ship a vial of semen to another zoo for assisted reproduction. This is something the Zoo is working on, but, “most species don’t have techniques that work dependably,” according to Armstrong.

According to their website, the Zoo maintains a genome resource bank of more than 18,000 samples of frozen reproductive cells. Dr. Armstrong takes me to the basement where they are stored. Though it’s a little less exciting than what you might see in, say, a Will Smith movie, it’s still a pretty cool sight. He lifts the lid on a liquid nitrogen tank filled with frozen sperm. With a metal rod he fishes into the tank. Smoke curls out as he pulls up a cluster of vials, revealing what may be a critical resource to our future animal population.

There are possible long-term applications of the frozen reproductive cells. It is a general rule that you lose a little genetic diversity with each generation, and with dwindling population sizes of certain species, it may be necessary to re-introduce genetic diversity back into the population. This is where it gets a little Sci-fi. You could, if the semen was still viable, artificially inseminate a captive monkey in 2050 with the semen sample taken from a captive monkey in 2008. Even more visionary is the idea of transferring genetic material between captive and wild populations, or between two wild but fragmented populations in the future.

Armstrong uses the Jamaican boa as an example, because there is a very small captive population with little genetic diversity and the wild population is declining rapidly. “If we could go into the field, capture a male boa, collect semen from him, release him back into the wild and then bring the semen back and do artificial insemination, we could re-introduce new genetic diversity in the captive population so we’ve got a more viable population in captivity without diminishing the wild population,” states Armstrong.

We cross through a glass-walled divider to enter the other lab areas. Peacocks stand outside, peering in through the windows. Dr. Armstrong is unfazed, but I take note of how weird it would be to have peacocks at your office door. “They like their own reflection,” Armstrong states matter-of-factly.

Molecular Genetics and the Madagascar Project
As previously stated, genetic health and diversity is key to species survival. In order to conserve genetic diversity, you must first determine what genetic diversity exists amongst a population. This is the work of molecular geneticists. Once the amount diversity and rate of deforestation and fragmentation is determined, they identify what areas and species need the most protection. Then they work with government officials and wildlife managers to conserve these areas.

Although the Zoo has extensive programs around the world that investigate the genetic makeup of species such as giraffes and gorillas, a large focus of the department is the Madagascar Biodiversity and Biogeography Project (MBBP). Madagascar contains very rare plants and animals, and only 10% of the original rainforest habitat remains, making it an important area for conservation efforts.

Dr. Edward Louis spearheads the project. He has been working in Madagascar for the past nine years. He and his staff have identified eighteen new species of lemurs; a remarkable feat, considering it is very rare to describe a single new species of mammal. These discoveries have directly affected Madagascar’s conservation plans. As Dr. Armstrong explains, “Previously they would’ve said ‘we’ve got these three forests where this one species lives, so let’s just cut this one forest down. Now they’re saying ‘we’ve got three forests with three different species, so we need to save all three forests’.”

Like other projects the Zoo conducts, an important aspect of MBBP is technology transfer, or the training and passing of knowledge to individuals native to the country they are working in. Susie McGuire, part of the genetics team, claims that they are currently working with 35 Malagasy (natives of Madagascar) students. She writes, “They help in the field, collecting blood and tissue samples from lemurs, lizards and snakes.” Dr. Louis adds, “The project is designed to empower the Malagasy people, to bring our expertise, experts and whatever taxa we are working on at the time to train the students to enable them to become leaders of tomorrow. We’re not going to be the ones to come over here…and save Madagascar, we’re going to hopefully give them a helping hand. They’re going to have to be the people to do it, it’s their country, it’s their future.”

The Amphibian Crisis
Concluding my tour was a sobering visit to the Amphibian Crisis facility. This is an area that the Zoo devoted to amphibian conservation in 1995, as the epidemic worsened. Currently one third to one half of all amphibian species is threatened with extinction, according to the Amphibian Ark organization. The major reason for this threat is the spread of the often-fatal disease chytridiomycosis, caused by chytrid fungus. The infection is known to spread through water and amphibian-to-amphibian contact, thus requiring strict protocols at the Zoo. The keepers must put on gloves, rubber boots and a water-resistant lab coat upon entering the enclosed areas, and take them off upon exiting.

Given the graveness of the threat, the conservation plan developed by the global community was to select critically endangered species and house them in captivity for management until their viability is secure. They breed certain species at the Zoo, such as the Wyoming and Puerto Rican crested toad, and release a number of tadpoles in the wild, while keeping some offspring to maintain the genetic diversity of the captive breeding population. Other species they simply house as a stopgap for their extinction. They are currently working on reliable ways to breed Dusky gopher frogs, a species that currently exists in only one county in southern Mississippi.

It’s frightening to think about a vital part of our ecosystem in such dire circumstances. Amphibian Ark declares, “Addressing the amphibian extinction crisis represents the greatest species conservation challenge in the history of humanity.”

I step into the tub of disinfectant before I leave, and walk out with wet shoes and a desire to spread the word about a serious worldwide problem that until about a half hour ago, I didn’t even know existed.

This time I exit the zoo not with a sinking feeling, but instead a respect for the important work that occurs here and a renewed determination to support conservation efforts.
Zoos like Henry Doorly work towards a better future for our world. Their hope and mission, as eloquently stated by Dr. Armstrong, is that, “When our children change our social attitudes and come to peace with the planet and start to restore habitats so that there is a place to go, there will be animals to put back in those habitats.”