Demographic analysis for the reproductive management of captive jaguars (Panthera onca) in Colombian zoos

Abstract

A demographic and reproductive analysis of the population of jaguars (Panthera onca) (n = 38) held in Colombian zoos. Records were analyzed (1970-2010), where paternity and maternity data were completed by DNA's microsatelite analysis. The SPARKS program was used for the construction of the Regional Studbook for Jaguars and the Population Management 2000 (PM 2000) program for its analysis. The main results obtained were: the census, distribution by sex and age, fertility rate, survival rate, mortality rate, average life expectancy, reproductive value, reproductive projections for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 100 years while preserving the 90% of genetic diversity. The most relevant findings were: the population analyzed in 2010 was decreasing (λ = 0.9876), the generational time (T) was longer for females (T = 18.21 years) than for males (T = 17.46 years), the genetic diversity was on the rise from 1994 to 2002 and remained stable from 2002 to 2009 (GD = 0.78). The genetic analysis allowed to structure the captive population, optimizing the analysis and the reliability of the results, opening the possibility of applying these methods as a conservation model in other threatened species.