Reintroducing endangered animals into the wild
Projects aimed at stabilising populations or their reintroduction often require years of preparation and scientific support. This makes them generally very time-consuming and expensive. The management of endangered species in breeding programmes is often only one aspect of these preparations.
Zoo Leipzig has been assisting in this effort for decades by keeping the gene pool of its species diverse and making animals available for release into the wild. Leipzig has already made a number of animals available for reintroduction projects, including European wildcats, little owls, European eagle owls, Scimitar-horned oryx, Przewalski's horses and white storks. A major reinforcement project is currently being prepared involving the conservation of the common hamster in Middle Germany.