The Frozen Zoo®
Mission Statement for the Frozen Zoo
To help preserve the legacy of life on Earth for future generations by establishing and maintaining genetic resources in support of worldwide efforts in research and conservation.
The Frozen Zoo at CRES is a unique resource playing a crucial role in current conservation efforts and will be an indispensable tool for the future. Consisting of DNA, frozen, viable cell cultures, semen, embryos, oocytes and ova, blood, and tissue specimens, it includes samples from more than 8,400 individuals, representing more than 800 species/subspecies. The Frozen Zoo serves as increasingly valuable resources for studies in conservation biology, evolution, and human health, and serves the San Diego Zoo's scientists, curators, and veterinarians, as well as conservation research partners at universities and scientific institutions around the world.
During 2007, noteworthy additions of species to the Frozen Zoo included white-bellied tree pangolin, Gobi bear, secretary bird, palila, African clawed frog, and the first efforts to culture adult stem cells from the northern white rhinoceros. Current conservation projects in which the Frozen Zoo plays an integral role include Barcoding for Species Conservation, Environmental Toxicology and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Recovery of the California Condor, and the San Diego Zoo's response to the amphibian extinction crisis: a combined effort for a global problem.
The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research provides a state-of-the-art setting for cell culture activities, DNA isolation, and PCR amplification of nucleic acids. These activities and resulting data have enabled the Genetics Division to conduct numerous conservation studies, including paternity analysis of animals born in social groups of bonobos and orangutans in zoos, and have led to studies of wild populations of mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda. Frozen Zoo samples have supported the continued study of the human genome, providing a deeper understanding of its functional elements through comparative studies of the evolution and relatedness of many diverse mammal species. Whole genome sequencing projects have benefited from the Frozen Zoo, including the savanna elephant, two-toed sloth, and western lowland gorilla. The Frozen Zoo also has powerful potential as a management tool for future conservation programs through cloning efforts.
