Existing comment:
SAVING SPECIES FOR TOMORROW.
The Smithsonian was conceived as a repository of many collections. One was of animal remains. William Hornaday, a Smithsonian taxidermist, sought to observe living bison in order to make his displays more lifelike . The animals had been hunted almost to extinction, but he found a few out West and brought them back to Washington. Living and cared for in a pen just outside the Arts + Industries Building, they were a hit with visitors, and formed the basis of the National Zoo, with Hornaday as director. Hornaday went on to become the director of the Bronx Zoo. While holding regressive racial views tarnishes his legacy, he became a leader in the movement to conserve species.
Starting in the 1980s, scientists at Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute pioneered methods of reproduction for endangered species – most famously, giant pandas. With the planet losing more and more species every year through loss of habitat, poaching, and environmental degradation, the Smithsonian has played an increasingly important role in preserving species for generations to come, from African and Asian elephants to tropical frogs in Central America. We are also pioneering new technologies for maintaining biodiversity like cryopreservation, in which DNA specimens are kept frozen in biobanks for potential repopulation in the future. |