Species Survival Plan
What is a Species Survival Plan (SSP)?
A Species Survival Plan (SSP) is a program for selected species in zoos and aquariums that manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), most SSP species are endangered or threatened in the wild, and have the interest of qualified professionals with time to dedicate toward their conservation. Also, SSP species are often “flagship species,” well-known animals that arouse strong feelings in the public for their preservation and the protection of their habitat. Examples include the giant panda, California condor and Western lowland gorilla.
The Fort Worth Zoo currently holds 98 SSP species. Zoo staff members serve as species coordinators for six of these national conservation programs: Bongo, king vulture, painted terrapin, Panamanian golden frog, Puerto Rican crested toad and rock iguana. Additionally, Zoo staff members serve as small population management, nutrition and veterinary advisors to numerous SSPs.
SSP Species at the Zoo
| Abyssinian ground hornbill | African lion |
| African pancake tortoise | African penguin |
| African pygmy goose | African serval |
| Anegada iguana | Andean condor |
| Abyssinian ground hornbill | African lion |
| Anoa | Aruba Island rattlesnake |
| Asian elephant | Black-breasted leaf turtle |
| Blue-bellied roller | Blue-throated macaw |
| Bobcat | Bonobo |
| Brazilian spectacled owl | Burmese star tortoise |
| Caribbean flamingo | Cheetah |
| Chilean flamingo | Chimpanzee |
| Chinese crocodile lizard | Chinese three-striped box turtle |
| Common spider tortoise | Eastern black-and-white colobus |
| Eastern bongo | Eastern indigo snake |
| Eastern massasauga | Egyptian tortoise |
| Fijian banded iguana | Flat-tailed spider tortoise |
| Forsten’s tortoise | Golden lion tamarin |
| Golden-headed lion tamarin | Grand Cayman iguana |
| Great argus pheasant | Greater one-horned rhinocerous |
| Green tree monitor | Hamerkop |
| Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko | Hippopotamus |
| Houston toad | Hyacinth macaw |
| Jaguar | Jamaican iguana |
| King vulture | Kinkajou |
| Komodo dragon | Kori bustard |
| Laughing kookaburra | Lesser flamingo |
| Louisiana pine snake | Malayan tiger |
| Mandrill | Marbled teal |
| Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake | Mexican red-kneed tarantula |
| North American river otter | Ocelot |
| Orangutan | Panamanian golden frog |
| Prehensile-tailed porcupine | Prehensile-tailed skink |
| Puerto Rican crested toad | Puma |
| Radiated tortoise | Red-crowned crane |
| Red kangaroo | Red river hog |
| Red wolf | Reticulated giraffe |
| Ring-tailed lemur | Roadrunner |
| Rockhopper penguin | Roseate spoonbill |
| Saddle-billed stork | San Esteban Island chuckwalla |
| Scarlet ibis | Slender-tailed meerkat |
| South American bushmaster | Southern crested screamer |
| Southern gerenuk | Sumatran orangutan |
| Sunda wrinkled hornbill | Swift fox |
| Tawny frogmouth | Toco toucan |
| Trumpeter hornbill | Violet turaco |
| Wattled crane | Western lowland gorilla |
| White-cheeked gibbon | White-naped crane |
| White-nosed coati | Yellow-billed stork |