Hereditary defects and conservation genetic management of captive populations

The occurrence of hereditary disorders in conservation breeding programs may severely hamper the overall aim of such programs. The obstacles that arise in this context and the particular management strategies needed to deal with the problems are yet to be adequately addressed. Results from a literature review indicate that hereditary disorders may be fairly common in zoo populations. An example with albinism in a captive brown bear population bred in Nordic toes is presented. It is demonstrated that the segregation pattern is consistent with an autosomal recessive allele, and carrier probabilities of live animals indicate that the allele occurs in high frequency in the present population. Removing animals with a probability of carrying the allele will result in loss of founder alleles considered particularly valuable. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.