食肉動物保育

食肉動物——狗、貓、熊、浣熊、黃鼠狼和海豹——是食肉哺乳動物，全世界共有 260 多種生物。由于棲息地喪失、疾病、狩獵和氣候變化，25% 的食肉動物面臨滅絕的危險。狼、野狗和獵豹等大型食肉動物處于食物鏈的頂端，需要大范圍的棲息地來養(yǎng)活它們的種群。因此，保護(hù)這些物種也會產(chǎn)生積極的連鎖反應(yīng)，從而保護(hù)整個生態(tài)系統(tǒng)。史密森尼保護(hù)生物學(xué)研究所物種生存中心的科學(xué)家正在與美國和海外的合作伙伴合作開展幾個基于多學(xué)科科學(xué)的保護(hù)項目，以確保繁殖中心和自然界中野生食肉動物種群的健康。
獵豹可持續(xù)性

史密森尼保護(hù)生物學(xué)研究所在北美獵豹種群的管理中發(fā)揮著領(lǐng)導(dǎo)作用，包括通過育種中心聯(lián)盟的管理，該聯(lián)盟由九個設(shè)施組成，合作產(chǎn)生該物種的自給自足種群。 SCBI 還設(shè)有獵豹物種生存計劃 (SSP) 負(fù)責(zé)人，其職責(zé)是將原地與異地研究和教育計劃聯(lián)系起來；與遺傳顧問和管理人員密切合作，監(jiān)督種群繁殖和轉(zhuǎn)移計劃；以及監(jiān)督 SSP 管理委員會。自 2010 年以來，14 窩總共 60 只獵豹幼崽在弗吉尼亞州 Front Royal 的 SCBI 出生。

SCBI 研究人員的重要科學(xué)研究表明，將繁殖雄性保持在群體聯(lián)盟中（就像它們生活在非洲的野外一樣）可以促進(jìn)繁殖性能，特別是提高精子質(zhì)量。其他重要研究集中在配子（精子和卵子）生物學(xué)、健康和疾病、年齡對繁殖的影響，以及了解物種的荷爾蒙復(fù)雜性。這些數(shù)據(jù)對保護(hù)主義者很有用，他們可以使用這些信息來修改這種瀕危貓科動物的繁殖策略，包括確保在寬敞的繁殖中心（例如 SCBI）中成群地飼養(yǎng)黃金繁殖年齡的獵豹，并促進(jìn)最佳繁殖和幼崽生產(chǎn).

當(dāng)前項目

??? 調(diào)查獵豹中 AA 淀粉樣變性的患病率及其對圈養(yǎng)種群管理的影響
??? 研究雄性獵豹的群體管理及其如何影響生殖健康
??? 了解獵豹青春期的生理開始
??? 瀕危貓科動物妊娠檢測方法的開發(fā)
??? 研究獵豹精子的代謝功能
??? 延長老齡雌性獵豹的生育能力以改善種群遺傳健康

全球犬科動物保護(hù)

犬科動物（類似狗的哺乳動物）大小不一，從在阿拉伯沙漠的嚴(yán)酷環(huán)境中幸存下來的 2 磅重的耳狐到在北半球野外發(fā)現(xiàn)的 175 磅重的灰狼。然而，我們最古老和最忠實的伴侶家犬的這些多樣化、范圍廣泛且富有魅力的堂兄弟正在迅速消失。由于棲息地喪失、狩獵和疾病，35 種現(xiàn)存物種中有 5 種，包括 dhole (Cuon alpinus)、非洲彩狗 (Lycaon pictus)、紅狼 (Canis rufus)、埃塞俄比亞狼 (Canis simensis) 和達(dá)爾文狐貍 (Pseudalopex fulvipes) ), 瀕臨滅絕。許多其他動物，包括鬃狼 (Chrysocyon brachyurus) 和叢林犬 (Speothos venaticus)，正在迅速消失。

全球犬科動物保護(hù)計劃是一項以科學(xué)為基礎(chǔ)的保護(hù)計劃，整合了生殖生物學(xué)、遺傳學(xué)、動物行為、生態(tài)學(xué)、獸醫(yī)學(xué)和教育，以促進(jìn)全球犬科動物保護(hù)。該計劃包括三個主要部分：建立創(chuàng)新的繁殖技術(shù)以幫助維持野生犬科動物種群的遺傳多樣性；異地保護(hù)，以應(yīng)對動物園野生犬科動物維護(hù)方面的挑戰(zhàn)（例如繁殖不良和健康狀況不佳）；和實地保護(hù)研究，讓當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)參與保護(hù)生活在大自然中的個人。

Carnivores

Carnivore Conservation

Carnivores—dogs, cats, bears, raccoons, weasels and seals—are meat-eating mammals totaling more than 260 living species worldwide. Because of habitat loss, disease, hunting and climate change, 25 percent of carnivores are in danger of extinction. Large carnivores such as wolves, wild dogs and cheetahs are at the top of the food chain and require large home ranges to support their populations. For this reason, protecting these species also creates positive ripple effects that result in the preservation of entire ecosystems. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival are working with partners in the United States and overseas on several multidisciplinary science-based conservation projects to ensure the health of populations of wild carnivores maintained in breeding centers and in nature.

Cheetah Sustainability

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a leadership role in the management of the North American cheetah population, including through the governance of the Breeding Centers Coalition, a group of nine facilities cooperating to generate a self-sustaining population of this species. SCBI also houses the cheetah Species Survival Program (SSP) leader, whose duty it is to link in situ with ex situ research and education programs; to work closely with genetic advisors and managers to oversee the population breeding and transfer plans; as well as to oversee the SSP management committee.?Since 2010, 14?litters totaling 60?cheetah cubs have been born at SCBI in Front Royal, Virginia.?

Important scientific studies by SCBI researchers have demonstrated that maintaining breeding males in group coalitions (as they would live in the wilds of Africa) promotes reproductive performance, specifically improving sperm quality.?Other significant research focuses on gamete (sperm and egg) biology, health and disease, the influence of age on reproduction, as well as understanding the hormonal complexities of the species. Such data is useful to conservationists who can use the information to modify reproductive strategies for this endangered felid, including ensuring that prime breeding age cheetahs are being maintained in groups in spacious breeding centers, such as at SCBI, and to promote optimal reproduction and cub production.?

Current Projects

• Investigating AA amyloidosis prevalence in the cheetah and its implications for captive population management

• Studying group management of male cheetahs and how it influences reproductive fitness

• Understanding the physiological onset of puberty in cheetahs

• Development of a pregnancy detection assay for endangered felids

• Investigating cheetah sperm metabolic function

• Extending the fertility of aging female cheetahs to improve population genetic health

Global Canid Conservation

Canids (dog-like mammals) range in size from the 2-pound fennec fox that survives the rigors of Arabian deserts to the 175-pound gray wolf found across the wild reaches of the Northern Hemisphere. Yet these diverse, wide-ranging and charismatic cousins of our oldest and most faithful companion, the domestic dog, are rapidly disappearing. Because of habitat loss, hunting and disease, five of 35 living species, including the dhole (Cuon alpinus), African painted dog (Lycaon pictus), red wolf (Canis rufus), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) and Darwin’s fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes), are near extinction.?Many others, including the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and bush dog (Speothos venaticus), are rapidly disappearing.

The Global Canid Conservation Program is a science-based conservation initiative that integrates reproductive biology, genetics, animal behavior, ecology, veterinary medicine and education to promote canid conservation globally. The program consists of three major elements: establishing innovative reproductive technologies to help sustain?genetic diversity of wild canid populations; ex situ conservation to address challenges (such as poor reproduction and suboptimal health) in maintaining wild canids in zoos; and field conservation research that engages local communities to protect individuals living in nature.