Born to be Wild

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'The reality of the current situation is that we shall be unable to ensure the survival of as many species as possible without increasing the role and use of ex situ conservation.' -DR ERNST LANG OF BASLE ZOO ZOOS AND CONSERVATION SYMPOSIUM, 1965

'Breeding buys time while we try to put right the problems in the wild.' THE DURRELL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST

Are zoos our last chance to save wildlife species from extinction? In captivity or in reserves, the most successful populations of endangered species are not always where they should be. A Cape Town-based operation is prepared to travel to the ends of the earth to put that right...

Lang's views were not widely accepted by his peers in 1965. Although European zoos were doing good science on the back of elephant rides and chimpanzee tea parties, their horizons, by and large, remained limited by the walls of their own enclosures. Even in 1972, when Gerald Durrell opened the First World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity, Basle Zoo remained one of only a handful of institutions with successful endangered species breeding programmes (lowland gorillas and Indian rhino). It was still unclear to Lang, Durrell and others exactly how these 'zoo banks' would be used - they just knew that it was important to buy time while the problems in the wild were put right.

Today there are breeding populations of endangered species in zoos around the world, and now a few South African wildlife scientists are opening up the zoos' horizons even further. Calling itself Back to Africa, the South African team is forging links between European zoos and local game reserves to re-introduce zoo-bred animals to their natural habitat on the subcontinent. The pilot project is called Operation Sable.

Conceived initially as a way of restocking reserves with locally extinct species, from wherever breeding populations could be found, the marriage of northern hemisphere zoos with southern African game reserves may become much more than that. Leading zoos are increasingly keen to be associated with in situ conservation projects that generate public interest and help validate their very existence. At the same time, as long as they market these projects, southern Africa's profile can only be raised in the minds of donors, tourists and armchair conservationists all over the world.

Relocating animals is not for the faint-hearted. When Operation Noah was launched under Rupert Fothergill as the waters of Lake Kariba rose in 1958, those involved were pretty much making it up as they went along. At the time, the exercise was considered a huge success in difficult circumstances, with some 5 000 animals relocated.

Subsequent research and experience, however, have meant that where it was once routine to have high mortality rates during translocations (one Namibian exercise in the 1960s lost eight out of nine rhinos), experts today hope for zero mortality. Dr Pete Morkel, a leading game relocation professional and a founder of Back to Africa, points out that, 'We can only do our best with the science available, and mistakes continue to be made, but southern Africa has some of the world's best scientists in this field.' This excellence comes as the result of an estimated 80 per cent of the world's game relocations being undertaken in southern Africa.

The new frontier in this field - the relocation of captive-bred populations to the wild - is the task that Back to Africa has set itself with its first project. Individual special-interest groups have succeeded with this in the past (black-footed ferrets in North America, Arabian oryx in Oman and cheetah in South Africa), but Back to Africa wants to create a whole network of recipient sites and breeding populations, including captive-breeding programmes in zoos.

The team is based in Cape Town and currently comprises four individuals. Manned on a daily basis by Suzy Digby-Smith, the office is squeezed into a single room behind the veterinary practice of Hamish Currie. Together with Morkel and Dr Mike Knight, both of South African National Parks (SANP), Currie founded Back to Africa. All three have the enthusiasm of unpaid champions, but also a wealth of experience in game relocation. Moreover, their network of professional colleagues is comprehensive and, as Morkel comments with characteristic modesty, when the task calls for it he is 'not shy to use more experienced people'. Morkel has the distinction of being the man who, in 1999, led the re-introduction of black rhino to northern Tanzania from South Africa's Addo Elephant National Park. Having survived the logistical complexities of that task, he has no illusions about what Back to Africa is proposing.

There are a number of reasons for bringing zoo-bred animals 'back to Africa'. First is the possibility of restoring critically endangered species to the wild. Where there are breeding populations in captivity, there is hope, however slim, for the survival of an endangered species in the wild. The European bison owes its existence today entirely to an Imperial Russian decree that protected the last herd in the royal hunting grounds of the Bialowieza Forest. From that relict population, and despite a heavy toll in two wars, there are now viable herds both in captivity and in the wild.

Africa has candidates of her own for this strategy, even amongst the large mammals. Who knows whether the northern white rhino might not need the same support? It is believed that this subspecies - visibly distinct from its southern counterpart - is on the verge of extinction in its central African heartland. According to Dr Anthony Hall-Martin, a zoologist who has specialised in the study of Africa's rhinos over many years, there are probably fewer than 30 animals in the Garamba National Park, its final stronghold in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Given the ongoing conflict in the region, this species' prospects may well rest with the nine ageing animals that are currently held in zoos in Europe and the United States. Such a stark reality forces one to reconsider the validity and role of zoos in the 21st century.

Even where a species is not on the verge of extinction, institutions may hold animals of a genetic mix that has been lost to the wild. Although some species appear to cope better than others in a 'shallow' gene pool (southern Africa's cheetah population is thought to have been reduced to fewer than 20 individuals several thousand years ago), it is generally agreed that a species is more adaptive and better able to absorb the effects of contagious disease where there is wider genetic variation within it.

Thirdly, captive-bred animal re-introduction is still in its infancy. If it is to become a mainstream tool in the ongoing battle to keep endangered species in the wild, then it needs to be researched and experimented with. Work in southern Africa with wild dogs, for example, has shown through bitter experience that captive-bred animals are best released only in the company of wild-caught dogs. Almost every aspect of the re-introduction process is difficult and expensive, and there is still an element of trial and error.

As a registered non-profit organization, Back to Africa is also trying to forge lasting relationships between zoological institutions and southern Africa. The resultant network may prove to be the group's most enduring legacy. The resources and publicity that North American and European zoos can bring to bear on conservation in southern Africa is enormous. By building support for the Back to Africa concept, through projects like Operation Sable, the probability that a captive-breeding network will be in place to restore truly endangered species to the wild (Lord Derby eland, for instance) is improved immeasurably.

And then there are the 'softer' rewards. For most people it just feels right to take animals out of captivity and give them the opportunity to live (and die) in the wild. The image of setting animals free is very powerful, both as a fundraiser for conservation and to underline Ernst Lang's point that the preservation of a species can begin in a zoo but it cannot end there.

Back to Africa's first project has identified a strong breeding herd of sable antelope (one of several in Europe) at Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic. A small group of these animals will be airfreighted to the SANP's quarantine facilities at Graspan near Kimberley in South Africa. Back to Africa will provide transport and logistical services, as well as facilitate the paperwork for the donor and recipient sites.

Sable have not been seen in the Limpopo Valley for more than 80 years and it is hoped that they will eventually be released into the recently proclaimed Vhembe-Dongola National Park, near the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers. Mike Knight, who is Scientific Services Manager for the SANP in the area, will be closely involved at the recipient site. He sees the re-introduction as a three-step process. First the imported animals will be kept in restricted quarters, given supplementary feed and intensively observed at the Graspan quarantine facilities. Then they will be allowed into a larger enclosure for a further period before finally being released into Vhembe when they are sufficiently habituated.

There are a number of important questions surrounding the whole proposition which Back to Africa has had to address. These range from the genetic suitability of imported animals to the cost of the entire exercise. Hamish Currie openly acknowledges them: 'Of course, there are practical difficulties in what we are trying to do, and some uncertainty. For example, there is speculation that animals bred for several generations in captivity lose their "flight response", making them inordinately vulnerable to predators. Similarly, they may be more susceptible to disease and parasites. We have strategies to deal with these things, but we can only be sure of them once we actually get the animals here. Once they are at the recipient site we can bring the wealth of experience that exists on the team, and in the region, to bear on any problems that arise.'

When the sable arrive, the SANP will take DNA samples to confirm that the animals are suitable for local re-introduction. Knight is keenly aware of the responsibility that rests with SANP to maintain genetically pure populations, given the fact that there is little control over the mixing of gene pools in the private sector. Working from limited data, a team led by Professor Terry Robinson, of Stellenbosch University and one of the country's foremost geneticists, has previously shown that in spite of vast geographic distances separating many sable antelope populations, the genetic differences among them are generally quite slight. This finding is interpreted as indicating a recent common ancestry for these populations, and that interbreeding among them will not compromise any unique local genetic adaptations.

In view of the costs associated with bringing the animals to South Africa, it is also important that the project makes fiscal sense. With sable commanding prices of up to R80 000 each at local auctions, the zoo-bred animals will come into the region significantly cheaper. They are being donated, so the bulk of the costs (approximately R180 000 for the first six individuals) will be spent on transport.

The first 'returnees' will be brought into the region by mid-2001, with the exact timing depending to some extent on the success of the team's fundraising efforts. These take up much of their time, but the response has been very encouraging so far. Among many generous supporters, Currie is particularly grateful to Pam MacDonald of Airborne Express, who has helped Back to Africa manage the labyrinthine logistics of the Operation Sable project.

Back to Africa is proposing to fill in one of the blanks in conservation's enormous and complex mosaic. It is not going to buy up land, start community projects, restore wetlands or root out poachers. Instead, it is going to try and persuade the 'zoo banks' of the First World to invest their hard-won progeny in in situ projects, where the other pieces of the mosaic are already in place. Zoos in Holland and the United Kingdom have already shown an interest in making more animals available, and if Back to Africa keeps up the momentum it is only a matter of time before the Americans become involved.

Operation Sable is even now making a contribution. Before the first antelope is loaded on to the plane for its journey 'back' to Africa, local scientists are talking to foreign zoos about their plans for the future, about the issues surrounding captive breeding and about the availability of endangered species for wild release. Even with the limited expertise available a hundred-odd years ago, no more would have been needed to ensure that the quagga would still be roaming South Africa's Karoo today.

'To save threatened species from extinction, it is not enough to keep and breed them over generations in zoos; there must exist, in addition, the possibility of re-adapting them to wild life in reserves and national parks.'

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