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As wildlife habitats are destroyed around the world and an increasing number of animals become endangered, conservationists are trying harder than ever to find new ways to save them. Captive breeding is among the more controversial of these efforts, as people debate between placing the emphasis on saving existing animals or on preserving their ability to survive in the wild. This week, Focus Earth gives a close-up look at this issue around the world.
First, Focus Earth looks at the Puerto Rican Parrot, whose peak population of almost a million dropped to about a dozen in the 1970s. One recovery program has been able to restore about 30 or 40 birds to the rainforest, where they are able to reproduce on their own. In this episode, Bob Woodruff visits Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Rainforest, where he talks with rainforest and wildlife specialists, and the leader of the Iguaca Aviary's successful parrot recovery program.
Next, Bob Woodruff talks with conservation specialists on both sides of the debate about captive breeding. Some say that captive breeding does not work, while others advocate for captive breeding-and-release programs as a critical lifeline for species whose natural habitats have been permanently destroyed.
Then, Bob Woodruff visits Indonesia's Bukit Tigapuluh forest to learn about Sumatran orangutans, whose population has declined to an estimated 2,000-3,000 mostly because of logging. In Tigapuluh, the last remaining lowland forest on Sumatra and the biologically richest habitat on earth, Bob will talk with the head of the Bukit Tigapuluh Re-introduction Center, which has led the only successful re-introduction effort for the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, and learn about the threats these animals continue to face.
Finally, Focus Earth looks at a growing trend in endangered species conservation. "Frozen zoos," are labs where the DNA of critically endangered species are stored for research and for a species record. And some conservation scientists are using the DNA to clone animals in an effort to help repopulate the endangered species. In this episode, Bob Woodruff looks at how science labs are becoming the breeding grounds of the future, and talks with the director of the one of the leading frozen zoos, the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species.
Watch Videos from Focus Earth: Last Resort: Captive Breeding
Tune in to Focus Earth and learn more about captive breeding and the animals in peril that conservationists are trying to save.
Dig deeper into these issues
Conservationists Working to Make the Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot A Little Less Endangered
Captive Breeding: Part of the Solution or Adding to the Problem?
