Snip: No More Pith Helmets

About 95 percent of the mammals in the nation's zoos were born in captivity far from their natural habitat, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits 200 or so of the best North American collections, including those in Cleveland and Akron.

The breeding programs bolster endangered species, said Steve Taylor, director of the Metroparks Zoo, but they can also create more animals than a single zoo can hold.

Earlier this year, the Metroparks Zoo bred far more South American milk frogs than it needed. So 300 of the black-and-white amphibians went into plastic cups inside foam shipping boxes for trips to zoos around the country

(Source)