Conservation
Conservation
Zoos in the past were primarily collections of animals for the recreation of visitors, but over the last two decades they have taken on an entirely new character and importance — they now represent the largest "ex situ" resources of expertise, personnel and facilities for nature conservation.
They fulfil their mission in four fundamental areas, all of which are a legal obligation for every zoo in Slovenia:
- Conservation role
- Educational role
- Tourism, cultural and recreational role
- Scientific research role
Conservation role
- Conservation breeding within the zoo.
- Improving and developing conservation breeding techniques.
- Cooperation between zoos and conservation institutions.
- Supporting conservation programmes in the natural environment of the endangered species.
The aim of conservation breeding in zoos is not to maintain populations that are fully viable and large. Because zoo populations are smaller than those in the wild, they are more prone to interbreeding, and selection is not fully natural either. The consequence can be impoverishment of the gene pool and amplification of certain traits.
It is still far better for a species to be preserved in zoos than to disappear altogether. When the need arises to return animals to the wild, zoos contribute individuals from their populations to reinforce wild populations.
Zoos thus serve as a "time bridge" into the third millennium, in which specialised and severely endangered animal species survive while the catastrophic destruction of the natural environment continues.
Educational role
The educational role is the most prominent today. Television and books cannot give a realistic picture of the animal world. It is important that people know — people can love, and so can protect. The zoo has a dedicated educational service which, over the past 26 years, has developed an exceptionally rich range of educational programmes, placing it among the most important institutions for non-formal education about animals after the end of formal schooling.
Tourism, cultural and recreational role
Our country is attracting more and more tourists, and a visit to the zoo — especially one as beautiful as ours — is certainly part of the offer. The zoo is an attractive destination for family outings. It is one of the leading Slovenian tourist institutions, alongside Lake Bled, Ljubljana Castle and Postojna Cave, although foreign tourists predominate at those sites. For domestic tourists, Ljubljana Zoo is the leading tourist destination.
Scientific research role
Ljubljana Zoo regularly takes part in various international and domestic research projects. It is actively involved, for example, in research into the chimpanzee genome, elephant herpesvirus and testing of scent tags in lynxes, and more. It can put together interesting projects with every ministry, even with the Ministry of Defence. We strive for interdisciplinarity and are connected with many faculties and institutions.