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Messengers Continued Mairim Martinez is a senior
animal care specialist and
SSPs and Studbooks the California Sea Lion SSP
studbook keeper
California sea lions are one of 125
species at Brookfield Zoo—including
the Amur tiger, Bornean orangutan, and
okapi—that participate in a Species Survival Plan®
(SSP). An SSP is a cooperative population manage-
ment and conservation program for selected species.
Each SSP is run by a group of professionals at
facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums (AZA). Their goal is to maintain
a genetically diverse, demographically stable,
and self-sustaining population.

Senior animal care specialist Mairim Martinez
is the California Sea Lion SSP studbook keeper.
A studbook is a registry of births, deaths, current
locations, transfers, and “family tree” of each
member of a species. “The studbook tracks who
the parents are, whether an animal was hand reared
or not, is male or female, was once stranded, and
other information,” said Martinez. She currently
oversees and tracks approximately 394 California
sea lions—155 males and 225 females—mostly in
the U.S. “There are a lot of moving parts that
require coordination from everyone involved.”
She uses a computer program called Poplink.

Martinez works with the AZA Population
Management Center at Lincoln Park Zoo on breed-
ing and rehoming (transfer) plans for California
sea lions. “Sometimes animals are rehomed for
reproductive purposes. We match up sea lions
and breed those that are most valuable genetically.”
Wild-born animals, like Carolyn and Sabiena,
are valuable because they bring fresh genetic
material into managed populations, which will
help sustain the population long-term.

Animals are also rehomed for social reasons.
For example, an animal may thrive socially when
it’s with other animals that are close in age or
have a similar personality, said Martinez.

“We strive to make sure the animals in our
care are healthy—physically, emotionally,
and genetically.”

20 GATEWAYS | MESSENGERS