Indian One horned Rhinoceros - Central Zoo Authority

Genetic Analysis
Species with small and declining populations are faced in with the loss of genetic
variability due to the limited mating choices available and the small sample of the
original gene pool being represented. In captive populations of these species the
problem is further exacerbated by the much reduced sample size of the original gene
pool of the species. It therefore becomes imperative to genetically manage captive
populations of threatened species.
The genetic summary of the captive one horned rhinoceros Indian population is
presented in table 5. The table suggests that the genetic variability of the population
could be much higher than that at present.
Founder Statistics
An analysis of the founder
statistics of the Indian
captive one horned
rhinoceros population
presented in table 14 and
figure 7 depict the
contribution made by each
specimen of wild origin to
the captive population. It is
inferred that a few
individuals (studbook numbers – 7, 8, 26, 34, 36, 49, 62 and 65) are over
represented while others are underrepresented or not represented at all. An equal
representation of all founder animals could have significantly enhanced the genetic
variability of the current population.
Table 14 Founder Statistics
Studbook Sex Age Representation Contribution Allele Potential Descendants
#
Retent. Ret.
IN5 M -1 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 1.0000 0.00
P5 M D 0.0100 0.2500 0.2350 0.2350 1.00
P105 M D 0.0100 0.2500 0.2500 0.2500 1.00
IN2 F D 0.0400 1.0000 0.7550 0.7550 2.00
IN1 M D 0.0400 1.0000 0.7650 0.7650 2.00
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