食肉动物保育

食肉动物——狗、猫、熊、浣熊、黄鼠狼和海豹——是食肉哺乳动物，全世界共有 260 多种生物。由于栖息地丧失、疾病、狩猎和气候变化，25% 的食肉动物面临灭绝的危险。狼、野狗和猎豹等大型食肉动物处于食物链的顶端，需要大范围的栖息地来养活它们的种群。因此，保护这些物种也会产生积极的连锁反应，从而保护整个生态系统。史密森尼保护生物学研究所物种生存中心的科学家正在与美国和海外的合作伙伴合作开展几个基于多学科科学的保护项目，以确保繁殖中心和自然界中野生食肉动物种群的健康。
猎豹可持续性

史密森尼保护生物学研究所在北美猎豹种群的管理中发挥着领导作用，包括通过育种中心联盟的管理，该联盟由九个设施组成，合作产生该物种的自给自足种群。 SCBI 还设有猎豹物种生存计划 (SSP) 负责人，其职责是将原地与异地研究和教育计划联系起来；与遗传顾问和管理人员密切合作，监督种群繁殖和转移计划；以及监督 SSP 管理委员会。自 2010 年以来，14 窝总共 60 只猎豹幼崽在弗吉尼亚州 Front Royal 的 SCBI 出生。

SCBI 研究人员的重要科学研究表明，将繁殖雄性保持在群体联盟中（就像它们生活在非洲的野外一样）可以促进繁殖性能，特别是提高精子质量。其他重要研究集中在配子（精子和卵子）生物学、健康和疾病、年龄对繁殖的影响，以及了解物种的荷尔蒙复杂性。这些数据对保护主义者很有用，他们可以使用这些信息来修改这种濒危猫科动物的繁殖策略，包括确保在宽敞的繁殖中心（例如 SCBI）中成群地饲养黄金繁殖年龄的猎豹，并促进最佳繁殖和幼崽生产.

当前项目

    调查猎豹中 AA 淀粉样变性的患病率及其对圈养种群管理的影响
    研究雄性猎豹的群体管理及其如何影响生殖健康
    了解猎豹青春期的生理开始
    濒危猫科动物妊娠检测方法的开发
    研究猎豹精子的代谢功能
    延长老龄雌性猎豹的生育能力以改善种群遗传健康

全球犬科动物保护

犬科动物（类似狗的哺乳动物）大小不一，从在阿拉伯沙漠的严酷环境中幸存下来的 2 磅重的耳狐到在北半球野外发现的 175 磅重的灰狼。然而，我们最古老和最忠实的伴侣家犬的这些多样化、范围广泛且富有魅力的堂兄弟正在迅速消失。由于栖息地丧失、狩猎和疾病，35 种现存物种中有 5 种，包括 dhole (Cuon alpinus)、非洲彩狗 (Lycaon pictus)、红狼 (Canis rufus)、埃塞俄比亚狼 (Canis simensis) 和达尔文狐狸 (Pseudalopex fulvipes) ), 濒临灭绝。许多其他动物，包括鬃狼 (Chrysocyon brachyurus) 和丛林犬 (Speothos venaticus)，正在迅速消失。

全球犬科动物保护计划是一项以科学为基础的保护计划，整合了生殖生物学、遗传学、动物行为、生态学、兽医学和教育，以促进全球犬科动物保护。该计划包括三个主要部分：建立创新的繁殖技术以帮助维持野生犬科动物种群的遗传多样性；异地保护，以应对动物园野生犬科动物维护方面的挑战（例如繁殖不良和健康状况不佳）；和实地保护研究，让当地社区参与保护生活在大自然中的个人。

Carnivores

Carnivore Conservation

Carnivores—dogs, cats, bears, raccoons, weasels and seals—are meat-eating mammals totaling more than 260 living species worldwide. Because of habitat loss, disease, hunting and climate change, 25 percent of carnivores are in danger of extinction. Large carnivores such as wolves, wild dogs and cheetahs are at the top of the food chain and require large home ranges to support their populations. For this reason, protecting these species also creates positive ripple effects that result in the preservation of entire ecosystems. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Species Survival are working with partners in the United States and overseas on several multidisciplinary science-based conservation projects to ensure the health of populations of wild carnivores maintained in breeding centers and in nature.

Cheetah Sustainability

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute plays a leadership role in the management of the North American cheetah population, including through the governance of the Breeding Centers Coalition, a group of nine facilities cooperating to generate a self-sustaining population of this species. SCBI also houses the cheetah Species Survival Program (SSP) leader, whose duty it is to link in situ with ex situ research and education programs; to work closely with genetic advisors and managers to oversee the population breeding and transfer plans; as well as to oversee the SSP management committee. Since 2010, 14 litters totaling 60 cheetah cubs have been born at SCBI in Front Royal, Virginia. 

Important scientific studies by SCBI researchers have demonstrated that maintaining breeding males in group coalitions (as they would live in the wilds of Africa) promotes reproductive performance, specifically improving sperm quality. Other significant research focuses on gamete (sperm and egg) biology, health and disease, the influence of age on reproduction, as well as understanding the hormonal complexities of the species. Such data is useful to conservationists who can use the information to modify reproductive strategies for this endangered felid, including ensuring that prime breeding age cheetahs are being maintained in groups in spacious breeding centers, such as at SCBI, and to promote optimal reproduction and cub production. 

Current Projects

• Investigating AA amyloidosis prevalence in the cheetah and its implications for captive population management

• Studying group management of male cheetahs and how it influences reproductive fitness

• Understanding the physiological onset of puberty in cheetahs

• Development of a pregnancy detection assay for endangered felids

• Investigating cheetah sperm metabolic function

• Extending the fertility of aging female cheetahs to improve population genetic health

Global Canid Conservation

Canids (dog-like mammals) range in size from the 2-pound fennec fox that survives the rigors of Arabian deserts to the 175-pound gray wolf found across the wild reaches of the Northern Hemisphere. Yet these diverse, wide-ranging and charismatic cousins of our oldest and most faithful companion, the domestic dog, are rapidly disappearing. Because of habitat loss, hunting and disease, five of 35 living species, including the dhole (Cuon alpinus), African painted dog (Lycaon pictus), red wolf (Canis rufus), Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) and Darwin’s fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes), are near extinction. Many others, including the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) and bush dog (Speothos venaticus), are rapidly disappearing.

The Global Canid Conservation Program is a science-based conservation initiative that integrates reproductive biology, genetics, animal behavior, ecology, veterinary medicine and education to promote canid conservation globally. The program consists of three major elements: establishing innovative reproductive technologies to help sustain genetic diversity of wild canid populations; ex situ conservation to address challenges (such as poor reproduction and suboptimal health) in maintaining wild canids in zoos; and field conservation research that engages local communities to protect individuals living in nature.