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Conservation scientist Sandy Andalman is looking for an off-site research and breeding facility away from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, where she works.
She contends that such a facility is needed because of space limitations at the zoo, animal health considerations, and the fact that some animals breed better in more naturalized environments than zoos--away from contact with people and other animals.
Andalman, director of the Center for Wildlife Conservation (CWC), a not-for-profit entity affiliated with the zoo, is involved in a joint project with the state of Washington to help rehabilitate the western pond turtle population. "In Washington, we are down to 100 turtles in the wild; they are also in trouble in Oregon and California," says Andalman.
But when she and her group started to bring the turtles in for captive breeding, they realized that the animals were sick. "They couldn't float straight because their lungs were all ...
