Modern zoos and aquariums are no longer menageries for public display. They are . Their primary goal is to maintain healthy, self-sustaining populations of endangered species as a buffer against extinction in the wild.

Zoos must navigate the ethics of managing "charismatic" genetic rarities. While an albino tiger or gorilla can significantly increase and visitor traffic—resources that support broader conservation efforts—ethical guidelines emphasize that animals should not be bred specifically for phenotypic anomalies. Scientific management via Species Survival Plans (SSPs) focuses on maintaining a "wild-type" genetic profile to ensure captive populations remain viable backups for their wild counterparts. Conclusion

Non-pigmented individuals are "obligate carriers," but phenotypically normal animals may also carry the recessive allele, often making it difficult to eliminate the trait from a population without comprehensive pedigree data. 2. Challenges in Conservation Biology

Zoos use to track the pedigree of every animal and calculate the best breeding pairs. 2. Avoiding Artificial Selection

In small, fragmented wild populations, related animals may unknowingly mate. By comparing wild DNA to zoo-managed pedigrees, biologists can identify isolated groups and plan wildlife corridors to encourage natural gene flow.