Centralized Database
Today, zoos and aquariums are “gene bank” for endangered species. In some cases, species which have become extinct the wild have been bred in zoos and eventually returned to the wild. Examples include the Black-footed Ferret, Californian Condor, Przewalski's Horse, Red Wolf, Micronesian Kingfisher (not yet reintroduced), and Arabian Oryx. Individual zoos cannot generally afford to maintain a viable species population (which for most mammals is in the range of 500 animals to maintain gene pool diversity), so this work requires a coordination between many zoos. In addition, the scientific expertise is spread throughout the world, not at a single institution, and breeding and population management rely on knowing information about animals in all member institutions, especially pedigree history (parentage) and demography (births and deaths).
ISIS records are accepted by international regulatory bodies like CITES. Several Regional Associations seek ISIS membership for their members: Ninety-eight percent of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in North America are ISIS members. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) requires its members to join ISIS. ISIS works in partnership with zoo associations around the world.
Currently, ISIS has staff and representatives in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Bogota (Colombia), Tokyo (Japan), New Delhi (India) and headquarters in Minnesota (USA).
Read more about this topic: International Species Information System