Zoos' Bitter Choice - To Save Some Species, Letting Others Die

Mission of Zoos worldwide is changing as more and more species face extinction. As the number of species at risk of extinction soars, zoos are increasingly being called upon to rescue and sustain animals, and not just for marquee breeds like pandas and rhinos but also for all manner of mammals, frogs, birds and insects whose populations are suddenly crashing.

To conserve animals effectively, however, zoo officials have concluded that they must winnow species in their care and devote more resources to a chosen few. The result is that zookeepers, usually animal lovers to the core, are increasingly being pressed into making cold calculations about which animals are the most crucial to save.

Like  Ozzie, a lion-tailed macaque, will never father children. Lion-tails once flourished in the tops of rain forests in India, using their naturally dark coloring to disappear into the height of the jungle. Though there are only about 4,000 remaining in the wild, not many in the zoos  will be bred. American zoos are on the verge of giving up on trying to save them.

 As standards for animal care rise and zoos install larger, more natural-looking exhibits, there is room for fewer animals-is what they say.

 Feel pity for Ozzies. Really concerned about such species who would be on the list of "NOT TO SAVE"