Teams of biologists and community scientists supported by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and San Diego Zoo Global are again sounding the alarm for the bright orange butterflies that are iconic images of Coastal California. 

San Diego Zoo Global conservationists reared young desert tortoises for one to two years before the planned release—a strategy referred to as “headstarting,” which provides a safe environment during their most vulnerable period, before translocating to the native habitat.

In breeding programs aimed at conserving animals from small or isolated populations, scientists must balance the competing needs of adding genetic diversity and avoiding the introduction of harmful genes.