Species extinct in the wild but exists in captivity

*the picture is a phylogenetic tree of "early" animals, memorizing that was not fun...*


To prevent inbreeding and loss of genetic variation, zoos around the world have to transport animals around the world to mate with each other. Inbreeding cause the frequency of a mutation to be expressed, thus the population's ability to remove deleterious alleles is reduced. We must be careful about maintaining the genetic diversity for species that are extinct in the wild, hoping to be able to release them back in the wild at some point. Fragmentation of land has created so many small populations, therefore making it easier for them to die out. Diversity on the genetic and species level are both important.