Twycross Zoo - East Midland Zoological Society works to conserve endangered species in two different ways:
- The first form of conservation is called ex-situ. This comprises of everything that is done to help the species outside the native country. Twycross Zoo enrols as many animals as we can into captive breeding programmes. These are globally controlled programmes that ensure the animals we keep are bred to be genetically viable for release into the wild in the future.
- The second form of conservation is called in-situ. This involves Twycross Zoo providing practical and financial support to projects working directly with the animals or the habitats in their native countries. To help us do this Twycross Zoo manages the Conservation Welfare Fund.
The Conservation Welfare Fund provides small grants to animal welfare and species conservation programmes worldwide, but also has a much larger aim. As the World Primate Centre, Twycross Zoo is dedicated to primate conservation. We have made the brave pledge to help to secure the future of five primate species in the wild by 2020.
Twycross Zoo currently has 67 species of animal in European Endangered Species Programmes or European Studbooks.