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Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758)


CAPTIVE BREEDING

A recent initiative by the US National Zoo, IUCN Captive Breeding Specialist group and a number of other North American scientific organizations has resulted in the development of an Action Plan for the creation of a Tiger Genome Resource Bank. This is intended to assist in the maintenance of the genetic diversity of both captive and wild tiger populations, so reducing the deleterious effects of inbreeding.6 A comprehensive captive breeding scheme is in operation incorporating zoological institutions worldwide. Details of this scheme are recorded each year in a Tiger Studbook (table 3).19


Table 3. 1994 zoo populations (studbook registrations).

Subspecies

Male/female
numbers

Total zoo population

Date of last record

P.t. tigris

167/166

333

1994

P.t. altaica

270/334

604

1994

P.t. amoyensis

22/14

36

1994

P.t. sumatrae

125/124

249

1994

P.t. corbetti

11/18

39

1994

Total

595/656

1,251

1994

Source: Muller, P. 1995.19


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