Factors Influencing the Sponsoring of Animals in Slovak Zoos

SIMPLE SUMMARY: To achieve conservation goals with ex situ programs, zoos have two alternatives: government funding and private donations. By using published data from 2018 on the amount of money received by zoos through adoption programs (if any), we investigated the factors influencing donations in all Slovak zoos. Generalized linear mixed models were applied throughout statistical analyses. Although the majority of animal species in the zoos included in this study had low a conservation status, a few others, like amphibians, were rarely listed as threatened species. In general, vertebrates received more funding than invertebrates, and mammals were the preferred taxa by private contributors. Mammals were sponsored more frequently than non-mammal species, except for reptiles. We submit that zoo managers could concentrate their efforts on the breeding of threatened animals to support their reintroduction to the wild and to enhance people’s awareness of these animal species. ABSTRACT: Anthropogenic disturbance causes biodiversity loss, and consequently the captive conservation (ex situ) of threatened animals may be an effective strategy in protecting species. We used estimated body mass, phylogenetic closeness with humans, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conservation status, and species attractiveness scores, to examine the factors influencing the adoption likelihood of a species in all Slovak zoos. In general, vertebrates received more funding than invertebrates, and mammals were the preferred taxa by private contributors. In terms of funding, we propose that the perception of mammals as phylogenetically close to humans, and attractiveness factor, contribute to an advantage over less attractive and phylogenetically distant species. Conservation status also contributed to the amount of donations; however, the magnitude of these relationships was weak when compared to the effect of animal taxa. These results suggest that Slovak zoos might be more successful in raising donations by breeding threatened species, and raising public awareness about these animal species. Displaying popular, flagship species of non-mammal taxa may increase interest among the public as well, and may translate into a significant growth in the amount of donations.