Population biology and many years of experience in zoos have given rise to scientifically based calculation models that can be used to estimate how many individuals are needed to maintain the ex situ population of a species over a certain period of time while minimising the loss of genetic diversity, taking into account biological conditions such as the number of offspring, sexual maturity, number of years of reproductive activity, etc. We have calculated this for a period of 40 years (which corresponds to the usual definition of two human generations) with 90% genetic diversity. In the case of CC, we have calculated this for a period of 40 years with a preservation of 90% of genetic diversity. The number of individuals determined in this way is therefore required for permanently stable conservation breeding over this period – this is our target number of individuals. As a second target number, we determined the number of facilities required for this species. To do this, we assume the average group size per enclosure and divide the target number of individuals by this value.
The calculated target numbers can be modified due to external factors. For example, if we know of well-functioning conservation breeding programmes outside of CC, they can be reduced because the risk of extinction of the species is then reduced by the other conservation breeding programme. If problems arise later in this other project, the numbers can be increased again. They are dynamic and can be adapted to current findings at any time.
The target numbers are therefore scientifically based estimates.
Achieving them does not mean that the species is already ‘safe’, but that we have the necessary number of individuals and holdings available to maintain the ex situ population in the long term with proper population management. So this is where the real work begins.
We publish our target figures and the extent to which we have achieved them on an ongoing basis on the species pages of our website and in our half-yearly livestock analyses.

In order for conservation breeding to remain stable in the long term, breeding must also take place in the individual holdings. Just as almost all skills need to be trained and utilised in practice on an ongoing basis in order to retain them, the animal keepers also need to keep practising and keep confirming and expanding their skills in practice. Additional data and findings should also be collected. The animals themselves must also be able to reproduce, both to live out their behavioural repertoire and to ensure their ability and willingness to reproduce in the respective husbandry. We know from animal husbandry practice of numerous cases in which keepers, after initial breeding successes, assumed that their animals would be able to provide offspring at any time, so to speak, on demand – until it did not work out later for unexplained reasons.
Precise control of the number of offspring is technically impossible for many species. Maintaining a healthy demographic in the ex situ population makes it imperative that not only animals that die of old age can be replaced.

Animals that are no longer needed for the breeding programme according to the defined breeding objectives should not remain in the programme, as they block urgently needed capacities for others. Preference should be given to marketing these animals, unless other aspects speak against it. We believe it makes sense to meet demand with individuals from our breeding programme in order, on the one hand, to get more people interested in animal husbandry in terms of expanding capacity and, on the other hand, to increasingly serve the market with animals from coordinated and controlled origins instead of meeting this demand exclusively with animals from other sources.
If commercialisation is not possible, culling can be an adequate means of population management. Different legal requirements apply here depending on the country. One widely accepted and considered sensible option is to feed the animals to predators. All amphibians and snakes, as well as many fish and other reptiles, feed predatorily on other animals, often even on their own offspring. There are numerous opportunities here to put bred animals that are not needed in the breeding programme to good use.

CC is a non-profit organisation and works on a not-for-profit basis. The revenue generated from commercialisation of animals contributes to the financing of CC. It therefore helps to ensure the continued operation and expansion of CC. Furthermore, additional income over and above the normal budget enables us to support other efforts to protect our species, for example by cooperating with projects in the countries of origin.

Deformities do not necessarily mean that the affected animal is not suitable for further breeding. However, this is often the case. If a veterinary indication shows that the animal cannot be treated and is suffering, it must be euthanised.
If the animal is no longer to be used for breeding, euthanasia, for example by feeding, may be a sensible solution depending on the legal situation. Of course, it is also possible to hand over deformed animals to owners outside of CC.

As in any population, exactly three:

1. Fertility: The number of offspring can be controlled to a certain extent, for example by the number of eggs that are incubated. A temporary breeding stop can also be a sensible measure.
2. Migration: Animals can be added to the programme from outside or released outside, for example through marketing or for reintroduction projects.
3. Mortality: Animals can be killed, for example by feeding them.

Killing can be necessary and sensible for population management. However, the German law does not explicitly recognise population management as a reasonable reason for killing animals. In this respect, it is controversial whether killing animals solely for reasons of population management is permitted in Germany (unlike in Switzerland, for example). However, feeding is generally recognised as a reasonable reason for killing. In practice, this is often a simple and sensible approach, as many species kept in aquariums and terrariums also feed on other animals, often including their own offspring. In many cases, larvae and juveniles can be fed to their parents or other carnivores.

Inbreeding, i.e. the reproduction of close blood relatives, does not automatically lead to problems in all species. Many animal species can obviously reproduce successfully over many generations or even permanently and produce healthy offspring, even if they are closely related. A famous example of this is the European bison, where the entire world population is based on just a few original animals, with no recognisable problems.
In principle, however, a breeding programme should endeavour to reflect the genetic diversity of the population as much as possible. This is why it is important to coordinate the breeding programme.

It is often not possible to obtain as many founder animals for an ex situ population as would be desirable, e.g. because legal regulations prevent this or there are simply no longer enough individuals of this species. In this case, it may make sense to establish a breeding programme with significantly fewer founder animals, in extreme cases even with just one pair from a single clutch. As explained under the question ‘Is inbreeding a problem?’, this does not necessarily lead to inbreeding problems. This varies from species to species.
If the decision is to lose a species completely or to preserve only a very small part of its original genetic diversity, the latter is still the better option.
And finally, there is always the chance of obtaining further animals later to replenish the ex situ population. Then there will already be experienced keepers and sufficient capacity available to breed them.

The aim of conservation breeding should be to preserve as much as possible genetic information and characteristics of the founder animals, especially those that are important for survival in the wild and thus for potential reintroductions.
If you have a sufficient number of source animals, care is taken to avoid mating close relatives. At the same time, you try to involve as many animals as possible in reproduction so that not only the genetic information of the best-adapted or dominant animals is passed on.
In principle, it makes sense to breed with the parent generation for as long as possible, as genetic diversity can decrease with each successive generation without the addition of external animals.
Subsequently, it is better to breed siblings of the same generation to each other than to breed the offspring to the parents, as this is more likely to maintain genetic diversity.
Contrary to what many breeders intuitively think, it is often better to breed in an ex situ population over several generations of branches without crossing them with animals from other lines. This crossbreeding is saved for a later point in time so as not to mix the genetic information of the founder animals too early. This is because conservation breeding is intended to continue over a long period of time, and it is often not known whether it will be possible to obtain further animals from outside during this time.

At CC, we do not release any animals into the wild. Target-oriented Reintroduction projects are complex and should only be carried out with scientific support. This requires local organisations in the countries of origin. CC cooperates with appropriate partner organisations where possible. In line with the ‘One Plan Approach’, CC is committed to providing animals for such projects through ex situ measures.

No. We select species specifically for CC. Sensible conservation breeding requires a lot of capacity. The management of a species requires a great deal of human resources, both for technical support and for the coordination of the animal population and participants. Our human resources are limited by our financial resources. The number of species we can look after is therefore directly dependent on our budget. Donations and long-term financial support are therefore always welcome! In addition, the number of available capacities is limited by the number of participating keepers. The more participants, the greater the capacity!

The CC Scientific Advisory Board forms smaller separate expert advisory boards for individual animal groups, which advise us on the selection of species. The criteria for this are, on the one hand, scientifically based factors, such as the degree of endangerment of a species according to the IUCN Red List or according to the Red Lists in the countries of origin. On the other hand, emerging threats, such as the advancing spread of the salamander-eating fungus Bsal or pending mining activities in the distribution area of a species that only occurs in small areas, can also speak in favour of including a species at CC. Another objective may be to curb the demand for imports of wild-caught species.
Social factors also play a role: as our species should always be ambassadors, both for their kin groups and for certain endangerment factors, we ensure a certain diversity of the species we look after. Extraordinary stories behind a species that arouse interest can also be a reason. The same applies to the question of how difficult a species is to keep. As we also include schools, for example, in order to build up further capacity, we always aim to add species that are relatively easy to care for.
Ultimately, it is also about pragmatism: we can only set up programmes for species from which we can obtain animals in the first place. Factors such as procurement costs and market value are also important here.

Yes, if there is an opportunity to add species to CC that would make sense for our programme according to our criteria, we are of course always interested. Feasibility plays an important role here, i.e. whether animals are available at all or whether we can provide the necessary resources for permanent care. Together with our scientific advisory board, we discuss such proposals and may include the species in the CC programme.

Do you have animals of a CC species at home and want to make them available for our conservation breeding programme? No problem! Of course, we first have to check whether these animals can be meaningfully integrated into our project, but we are always happy to receive this form of support. You can then keep the animals for CC yourself or make them available to other keepers.

Because the necessary husbandry capacities must be available and because the management of a species costs money. The human resources required to coordinate the stock are high. In addition, husbandry recommendations have to be drawn up and continuously monitored for all species, questions from keepers have to be answered and our knowledge base has to be constantly expanded. Based on our experience in the first few years, we currently estimate the cost of managing a species at CC at around 6,000 euros per year. The number of species is therefore directly dependent on the budget we have available. And therefore on the support we receive from partner institutions and donations. Of course, we want to continue to expand our species portfolio in view of the large number of endangered species.

Our joint Frogs & Friends and CC team currently comprises seven permanent employees and a small number of freelancers.
As part of a management agreement, CC’s business is run jointly with the Frogs & Friends organisation. Since 2014, Frogs & Friends has set itself the task of breaking new ground in the communication of scientific topics as a ‘PR agency for amphibians’. The portfolio includes the areas of research, communication and networking, with a focus on the conception and realisation of permanent exhibitions (e.g. the Amphibium at Hannover Adventure Zoo) as well as the planning and implementation of research projects. All digital channels of both companies are managed by our editorial team.

Coffee!
No, seriously: coordinating an ex situ population is time-consuming. At the end of 2024, CC was looking after around 5,500 animals from 31 taxa in around 350 facilities. There is a digital file for each animal and each enclosure in which all important data is entered. Twice a year, we carry out a stock report, in which information from all the holdings about all the animals in our care is collected, entered and processed. If animals are to be sold, we look for new keepers or initiate the marketing process. We initiate the transport from A to B and help with its realisation if necessary. We answer content-related and technical questions from participants and interested parties. We compile husbandry recommendations and studbooks for our species and add to these on an ongoing basis. We collect information about our species. To this end, we communicate with experts on an ongoing basis. We organise an annual conference with our scientific advisory board and inform the public about our work and the importance of ex situ species conservation for species protection. To this end, we write texts and articles, produce podcasts and films, and attend conferences and events. We use social media channels and maintain our website. And we also make coffee.

The basic funding of the non-profit limited company Citizen Conservation Foundation is provided by the three shareholders Frogs & Friends, the German Association of Zoological Gardens (VdZ) and the German Society for Herpetology and Terrarium Science (DGHT). However, this only covers part of the annual costs. Further funding comes from fixed donations from our supporters, including numerous individual zoos. But donations and marketing revenue also contribute to CC’s budget. The more money we have at our disposal, the more species we can include in our programme and the more we can inform the public about the urgency of this task for society as a whole.

There are four ways to support CC:

• We are looking for committed animal keepers who are willing to care for and breed our animals on a voluntary basis.
• You can register your own animals of one of the species we look after and take part in CC. You can also make animals available to us, which we can then pass on to other participants. The prerequisite for both options is that the animals are suitable for the programme.
• We are happy to receive any form of financial support, be it in the form of a grant agreement from institutions, individual donations or sponsorships. The size of our budget determines the number of species we can care for and the public relations work we can carry out.
• Of course, we are always happy to spread the word, from word of mouth among friends or hobbyists to press articles or TV reports about our work.

Anyone who is knowledgeable and has the means to keep and breed our animals in a species-appropriate way can join us. This can be private individuals as well as zoos, schools, clubs, museums or other organisations.

Simply write to us by e-mail or via the contact form on this website and express your interest, preferably stating the species or species groups you are interested in.
We will then clarify the required expertise and accommodation. We then conclude a contract with the prospective keeper and finally place the animals. You can find more information here.

Ideally via a recognised certificate of competence (for amphibians, reptiles and fish, there are, for example, the certificates of competence from DGHT, VDA, BNA or other associations if you are in Germany) or via a corresponding professional qualification.
However, a formal certificate of expertise is not absolutely necessary. Tell us about your experience in keeping animals and how you have prepared yourself for the species to be kept and we can then assess whether and for which species you are suitable. So just get in touch with us.

The CC office places animals with new owners. They are responsible for the transfer of the animals themselves. They also bear the costs. There is an exception for schools: in order to support them, CC can cover the costs of transport.
After successful placement, you should ideally simply collect the animals yourself or arrange to hand them over personally. This has the advantage that you can also see the previous conditions in which the animals were kept and can exchange information and ask questions. However, transporting animals via third parties is also feasible and can be carried out by licensed transport companies. The CC office can help with this if necessary.

No. All animals are part of the conservation breeding programme and remain the property of CC. Offspring are passed on to other keepers in order to build up the desired number of keepers. If animals are bred that cannot or should not be placed within CC, we take care of placing them outside the organisation or marketing them. The proceeds go to CC to support our work and further expand our programmes.

In principle, yes, of course in compliance with the husbandry recommendations. During the course of keeping, we will communicate to what extent further breeding is sensible and desirable. It may therefore be necessary to temporarily stop breeding. In the case of a large number of eggs/larvae/young animals, please discuss with the CC office at an early stage how to proceed, as it often makes sense to rear only some of the offspring.

In principle, it is of course desirable for participants to keep the animals long-term. However, it is always possible to stop keeping the animals. Ideally, please give us as much notice as possible so that we can look for and find suitable new homes. If necessary, however, we can also step in at short notice thanks to our now extensive network of facilities. We also take care of the acceptance of offspring.

As a rule, all costs incurred in keeping and breeding the animals must be borne by the keepers as a voluntary commitment to species conservation.

That depends entirely on availability. As a rule, we can only place animals if they have been bred in another facility or if animals have been given to us from outside. In both cases, they are then placed with new interested parties as soon as possible.

Of course, this happens in every animal husbandry at some point, and of course we know that mistakes can always happen when keeping animals or that animals can fall ill and die. The very idea of a large husbandry network is to spread the risks across as many facilities as possible.
Deaths that are not to be expected as normal (such as in old animals or when rearing larvae and young animals) should be reported immediately to the CC office so that any existing husbandry problems can be discussed or a necropsy carried out if necessary. Otherwise, deceased animals can be disposed of in accordance with the legal framework.

The basis for a coordinated breeding project is that we are informed about the stock. We need to know in which facilities the breeding is working, where there are problems, where animals are to be placed in the foreseeable future, in general: how things are developing. We also want to expand our knowledge of keeping and breeding our species with CC and need the relevant information.
We therefore carry out a stock report twice a year. On the agreed deadlines (currently 1 March and 1 September), participants report their current livestock and all relevant developments and observations in their husbandry. Participation in the stock report is mandatory. We ask you to take it seriously and to report as soon as possible at our request in order to avoid unnecessary additional personnel costs due to repeated enquiries.

We contact our keepers on the reporting dates and then specify how the report should be made. We currently use an easy-to-use internet form for this. In future, the reports will be submitted via the ‘Wild at Home’ online platform developed by Frogs & Friends in collaboration with CC.

Our participants are dedicated animal keepers who are committed to protecting species. They are our most important support. Of course, we do not take animals away from anyone for no reason.
If it appears necessary in the interests of species conservation to reorganise groups or transfer animals to a different husbandry, a transfer may be necessary, for example because there are only animals of one sex in one husbandry or to cross different lines. We naturally endeavour to organise this by mutual agreement between all parties involved.
In the event of wilful breaches of the agreements in the hiring contract or of animal welfare regulations, we must of course remove the animals from the facility and place them elsewhere.

CC is designed to be international. That’s why our website and all documents are also available in English. At present, however, our geographical focus is on Germany and its neighbouring countries. This also has to do with the fact that the transfer of animals within the project must be guaranteed. In the case of Switzerland, there are hurdles to animal transfer because it is a non-EU country. But there are also CC stocks in Switzerland that are to be further expanded. And individual participants are already involved in other countries. This requires individual consultation. In the medium term, we plan to establish organisational structures in other countries via partners or sub-groups.

Before handing over animals, we obtain written confirmation of the expertise of the keepers and the existence of suitable housing facilities and conditions, and conclude a formal contract of hire. We keep in regular contact with all participants via the stock reports and are also available to answer questions and solve problems. In justified cases of suspicion, we reserve the right to personally inspect facilities after notification, as stipulated in the recruitment contract.

No, not independently, but only through mediation or in consultation with the CC office. For a coordinated conservation breeding project, it is crucial that we have precise information about the parentage of the individual animals. Also, certain lines should perhaps not be crossed with others or mixing between generations should be avoided. It is therefore essential that any change of location and any change in the composition of breeding groups is discussed with the CC office.

Normal health care and all necessary veterinary measures are the responsibility of all pet owners, in Germany also according to the Animal Welfare Act. The costs for this are normal husbandry costs and, like food and electricity, must be borne by the keepers. This is part of their voluntary commitment to CC. Corresponding measures and medications should be stated in the inventory reports.
The CC office can provide advice on specific questions or put you in touch with specialists. If the CC office deems it appropriate to have certain examinations or necropsies carried out on deceased animals over and above normal preventative healthcare, CC will cover the costs.

CC’s advisory board draws up guidelines for recommended veterinary tests for individual animal groups or species. In the case of amphibians, for example, we generally carry out skin swab tests for the chytrid fungi Bd and/or Bsal and faecal samples for parasites every time the animal is moved. CC bears the costs for this. Appropriate test tubes and instructions can be provided. We can also organise a suitable veterinary testing institute to which the samples can be sent. For organisational reasons, only the postage costs are to be borne by the participants themselves.
In addition, animal owners and/or the CC office may decide to carry out further examinations if this appears necessary or sensible. If these are ‘normal’ animal husbandry costs that are part of basic animal husbandry care, participants bear the costs themselves. In the case of special issues initiated by the CC office, CC will cover the costs.