Reintroduction programs have been promoted across the world to recover and rehabilitate endangered birds through ex situ captive breeding and releasing to the nature. The ultimate aims of these reintroduction programs are recovery of sustainable populations in natural habitats. To ensure the success of the reintroduction programs, it is necessary to examine the followings in order to increase the success rate of releasing along with the development of captive breeding techniques: 1) Adequate habitat provision, 2) adaptability of captive-bred individuals, 3) survivability of released individuals, and 4) social interest and will. Before releasing captive-bred individuals, it should be reviewed whether there are habitats in which the limiting factor is removed, and assessed their long-term safety. The quantity and quality of the released individuals must be considered to increase the chances for mate selection, maintain genetic diversity, and acquire the ability to adapt to the wild. The release method must be decided in consideration of characteristics of the target habitats and individuals, and rational means such as careful observation, evaluation, and feedback must be provided throughout the release process. For the long-term success of recovery projects, social awareness, sustainable support, and related experts are needed. Satisfying these criteria can help to increase the success rates of reintroduction programs. For the bird reintroduction program in the future, the feasibility of the methods and procedures must be closely reviewed before starting.
The dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), is one of endangered species in South Korea. It was last recorded in 1971. To restore this species, we introduced G. mopsus populations from eastern and southern regions of Mongolia in July 2019 and August 2019, respectively. One of the main tasks for the restoration of endangered insects is to develop breeding techniques to eventually incorporate these insects into the restoration system. In a series of laboratory experiments, we investigated effects of short-term hibernation periods on life-history traits of G. mopsus. Adult G. mopsus that had hibernated for 30, 60, and 90 days had lower survival rates than adults that had hibernated for 120 days. We also compared developmental time of these four experimental groups and found a significant difference in the egg - phase. However, the duration of hibernation did not affect the fecundity, brood-ball size, or body size of F1 adults. Follow-up studies are currently being conducted to further investigate the effect of a short-term hibernation period on population growth of G. mopsus under laboratory conditions.
To understand restoration and conservation projects conducted in Korea for endangered freshwater fishes and amphibians/reptiles, information about Request for Protocols-related studies on restoration, breeding, and release were collected. Trends of studies were visualized via word clouds and VOSviewer program using a text mining technique. Analysis of restoration projects for endangered freshwater fishes elucidated that most research studies conducted to date were focused on genetics and release through captive breeding that could be classified into captive breeding and habitat environments. As for research projects related to amphibians/reptiles, monitoring projects had the highest number, followed by genetic, translocation, and monitoring studies. In addition, restoration projects for amphibians/reptiles included a large number of post-capture translocation projects. Thus, many projects were confirmed by public institutions rather than by the Ministry of Environment. Network analysis revealed that it was largely classified into capture, translocation, and Kaloula borealis. Based on these results, limitations, achievements, and challenges associated with projects conducted thus far are highlighted. Research directions for future restoration and conservation of endangered freshwater fishes and amphibians/reptiles in South Korea are also suggested.
Zoological Parks house exclusive animal species, thus creating a source of education and awareness for visitors. Big cats like tigers and leopards are among the most visited species in zoos globally. However, they often display stressful or stereotypic behaviours. Such behaviours are influenced by multiple factors including visitors, animal history, and captive environment. To understand this impact, we investigated the behavioural response of tigers and leopards to visitation, captive, and biological factors. The behaviour of eight big cats housed in the National Zoological Park, New Delhi, was monitored using focal sampling technique during May and June 2019. We recorded the captive and biological factors and visitor density for the subjects. The study revealed high proportions of inactive and stereotypic behaviours amongst the species. Tigers and leopards were found to perform stereotypic behaviours for 22% and 28% of their time, respectively. Generalised Linear Models revealed a significant variation of stereotypy in association with the factors. Stereotypy was influenced by visitor density, age, sex, breeding history, coat colour, and enclosure design. Adults, males, white-coated, previously bred, and those housed in smaller and simple enclosures display more stereotypy than young, females, normal-coated, unbred, and those housed in larger and complex enclosures, respectively. A high density of visitors induced more stereotypic behaviours amongst the big cats. As providing entertainment and awareness amongst the public is one of the fundamental objectives of the zoo, visitors can not be avoided. Thus, we suggest providing appropriate enrichments that would reduce stereotypies and promote naturalistic behaviours.