THE SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN
The Species Survival Plan program began in 1981 as a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species in zoos and aquariums in North America. Each SSP manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. Beyond this, SSPs participate in a variety of other cooperative conservation activities, such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. Currently, 107 SSPs covering 161 individual species are administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium, whose membership includes accredited zoos and aquariums throughout North America A species must satisfy a number of criteria to be selected for an SSP. Most SSP species are endangered or threatened in the wild, and have the interest of qualified professionals with time to dedicate toward their conservation. Also, SSP species are often "flagship species," well-known animals which arouse strong feelings in the public for their preservation and the protection of their habitat. Studbook programs are computerized databases of the history of the captive population of animals, including birth dates, sexes and genealogies of individual animals. The purpose of the program is to continue to track the genetic make-up of captive bred animals to ensure that gene populations are as diverse as possibly and to help keep genetic mutations from the captive population of animals. | 
