This Zoo's Job Is Getting Animals To Get It On

We think of fertility problems as human obstacles, but sometimes doing it "like they do on the Discovery Channel" isn't as easy for animals as you might think.

That's where a specialized reproductive lab in Northeast Florida comes in. One could call this Florida non-profit the Marvin Gaye of the animal world. Their name, the South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation (SEZARC) isn't sexy, but their mission is the scientific equivalent of lighting candles and playing slow jazz. Or, you know, going to a fertility doctor.

The lab lies at the end of a long dirt road, nearly one highway exit short of the Georgia border, on the site of a North Florida wildlife conservation facility. When I visited, it was full of white tables covered in pipettes and microscopes that inspect rhino poop and manta ray sperm. Researchers told me about difficult cases: a pregnant mandrill, a seemingly sterile colobus monkey and a naked mole rat in need of contraception.

The non-profit analyzes reproductive requirements in various species, including endangered and threatened animals, to give the animals the best chance at having offspring in captivity, said Cayman Adams, SEZARC research lab manager.

It sounds like a do-gooder goal, but getting zoo animals to have babies has financial benefits too. Healthy animals and healthy, adorable babies bring in visitors. And since zoos are the largest donors to conservation efforts worldwide, SEZARC Research Associate Lara Metrione said successful ticket sales mean more support for animals outside of the zoos' walls.

The SEZARC staff said the public often doesn't understand how important reproduction is for most animals. "It's just a matter of explaining to them that if some of these animals don't reproduce properly, they will get sick," Adams told Motherboard. "It can actually harm them."

Regularly popping out babies on nature's schedule is not only a sign that everything is working properly, but it actually helps keep bodily functions running smoothly, Metrione explained. "If your animals look like they're unwell or unhealthy, no one is going to your zoo," she said.

Most animals won't reproduce unless their key needs are met, Metrione said. A female who has been mating regularly but not getting pregnant can signal illness or unhappiness —something zoo staff want to fix quickly in either case.

"You talk about whether the animal is just surviving in a zoo…But what does that mean? Just because it's there and it's doing ok? If it's reproducing, it's really carrying out its full circle of its life abilities," she said. "That means we've really met all of our benchmarks for this animal and given them the ability to thrive."

Some animals have trouble reproducing in the wild due to disease and changes in environmental conditions prompted by climate change. Animals in captivity have different fertility challenges, such as when the cultivated environment doesn't include important natural cues that tell the female that it's time to have a baby. SEZARC deals with both sets of challenges, studying animals in the wild and in zoos.

SEZARC staff are often contacted by its member organizations, which includes large institutions such as the Georgia Aquarium and the Dallas Zoo, when an animal isn't reproducing. Just like human fertility doctors, SEZARC evaluates all of the internal factors that could affect reproduction, such as the endocrine system.

Unlike humans, sometimes the fix is as simple as adjusting the animal's living space. The pH of the water in an aquarium tank or the lighting in an exhibit could all have an effect, Metrione said.

Once, SEZARC staff discovered a giant river otter wasn't able to keep a pregnancy because, in part, she wasn't given enough "personal space" to nest before her pups were born, she said. Keeping the nosey male at bay for a few weeks ensured she was able to have a stress-free pregnancy and gave birth to a litter a few months later.

Then there are trickier challenges, like artificially inseminating sharks (because natural shark sex is actually violent) or helping coral populations keep spawning despite warming ocean water, which interferes with natural reproductive cues, Adams said. She said climate change will likely hurt coral's ability to reproduce for the foreseeable future, so SEZARC is studying how to breed coral in aquariums to have backup species in the event of a massive coral die-off.

The non-profit organization works with animals ranging from popular animals such as cheetahs and elephants to the lesser-loved diamondback rattlesnakes and sand tiger sharks. By helping these animals have babies, they're hoping to boost the population of species from the endangered Florida panther to the near-threatened Montana bison.

SEZARC is mostly funded partially through donations, including donated chemicals such as formalin. Metrione said they also use grant funding and receive dues from their member organizations for a wide range of fertility services.

Sometimes, they have to get creative. An ongoing fundraising campaign urges individuals to "adopt a sperm", with options ranging from jaguar to Somali wild ass. Donors receive a certificate of adoption but the sperm stays where it belongs.