Welfare and Conservation Implications of Intentional Breeding for the Expression of Rare Recessive Alleles Association of Zoos & Aquariums Animal Welfare Committee: Taskforce on Animal Breeding Practices

Breeding practices that increase the physical expression of single rare alleles (i.e., rare genetic traits) through intentional inbreeding, for example intentional breeding to achieve rare color-morphs such as white tigers, deer, and alligators, has been clearly linked with various abnormal, debilitating, and, at times, lethal, external and internal conditions and characteristics, which are outlined in this paper. Many of these conditions may seriously compromise the welfare of individual animals. In addition, such breeding practices are also problematic from a population management and conservation perspective, impairing our ability to develop and maintain sustainable captive populations for the future and to deliver appropriate animal welfare and conservation education messages.