Dr. Kurt Benirschke, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of California at San Diego and a member of the Zoological Society of San Diego's Research Committee, had been discussing the idea of a scientific research arm of the organization with Dr. Charles Schroeder, Charles Bieler, and fellow committee members for several years. In the early 1970s the idea began to take shape, and in 1973 and 1974, Charles Bieler and Dr. Benirschke worked together on plans and fundraising for the new research center. On January 1, 1975, Dr. Benirschke assumed his duties as Director of Research for the Zoological Society, and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) was officially launched. One of the initial projects for CRES was to establish a tissue bank that would preserve skin samples and sperm from a wide variety of animal species, to allow for the study of animals' chromosomes and to provide for potential artificial insemination. This would become known as the Frozen Zoo. Here, Dr. Benirschke shows some of the samples that were first preserved.

At CRES, Dr. Benirschke worked with graduate students to pioneer a wide variety of laboratory techniques and technologies that could help reproductive efforts for endangered species. He and the scientists at CRES trained a new generation of conservation scientists, and they in turn trained others — a cycle that continues today. Education, internships, and postdoctoral work play a vital role in the work of today’s San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

A New Dimension for Research

From Dr. Schroeder’s increasing interest in conservation in the mid-1960s through the building and opening of the Wild Animal Park, the Zoological Society of San Diego was experiencing the increasing momentum of applying its reputation for science and research to the challenges of conservation. Dr. Kurt Benirschke (left), a physician, researcher, and professor, had been on the board of trustee’s science and research committee for several years, and along with Dr. Schroeder and Chuck Bieler, he saw the compelling need for research to help endangered species. Dr. Benirschke and Chuck Bieler worked together to explore and expand what the Zoological Society of San Diego’s role could be in conservation research. The result was founding a groundbreaking new arm of the organization: the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), with Dr. Benirschke taking on the directorship. This achievement positioned the Zoological Society of San Diego as the world’s largest zoo-based conservation organization.

1975

New Era 1967 - 1976