Cooperative Living August 2018 - 17

animals, where each falls in the herd
hierarchy, and how well each cooperates
with her staff. Juggling personalities
proves essential to the animals' safety
and welfare.
" There's always somebody at the bottom,
and you have to manage the herd for that
animal, " she says. In the case of the
scimitar-horned oryxes, one sorry outcast
is pastured separately to prevent attacks
from more dominant herd members and
ensure that he receives sufficient food.
The isolation of the Front Royal campus
facilitates breeding some of the shyer
species, like red pandas. Thanks to half a
century of tremendous efforts in education
and conservation, most of the public is
familiar with giant pandas, making a
triumphant comeback in the wild. Their
smaller, but equally darling, red cousins
are currently under far greater threat.
Relatively little is known about this elusive
species, but more knowledge is crucial
to conservation efforts. Devin Murphy,
SCBI's communications specialist, explains,
" Right now, what we don't know about
red pandas is similar to where we were
with giant pandas in the 1970s. "
SCBI houses up to 15 red pandas for
breeding and research. These include the
most famous red panda in the world, Rusty.
Rusty's 2013 escape from the National Zoo
made headlines, his day-long exploration
of Washington, D.C., captivating social
media until he was recaptured. Shortly after
that the superstar retired to a quieter life
as a stud panda in Front Royal, where he
seems to revel in his new responsibilities.
SCBI has led the way in re-introducing
a number of endangered species to the wild.
Black-footed ferrets, native to the Western
United States, were thought extinct until
1981, when a small community was
discovered. All existing black-footed ferrets
descend from those 18 individuals, which
makes retaining genetic diversity in the
breeding population a complex puzzle. Ferret
researchers maintain a genetic " stud book, "
using a computer algorithm to `rank` breeding
pairs. Originally developed by Jon Ballou,
a Smithsonian scientist, this same algorithm
is now employed by every managed-species
breeding program around the world.
Personalities factor into the calculations,
too. Ferret-keeper Vicki Lake clarifies that,
just like humans, ferrets demand certain
characteristics in their mates. The SCBI
scientists serve as a ferret dating service,
pre-screening eligible males to meet the
fussiest females' high standards. Despite
their drop-dead cuteness, black-footed
www.co-opliving.com
The isolation of the Front Royal campus facilitates breeding some of the shyer species, like red
pandas. SCBI houses up to 15 red pandas for breeding and research.
Little is known about the red panda, but more
knowledge is crucial to conservation efforts.
The most famous red panda in the world,
Rusty, eats an apple.
SCBI has led the way in reintroducing a number of endangered species to the wild, including
black-footed ferrets that were thought extinct until 1981.
August 2018 | Cooperative Living | 15
CHRIS CROWE PHOTO
SARI CARP PHOTO
SARI CARP PHOTO
JESS KORDELL PHOTO

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Cooperative Living August 2018

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