Captive breeding is best described as what?

• A. Breeding animals in the wild
• B. Breeding animals in captivity until populations grow
• C. Selective harvesting
• D. Genetic modification

Answer: (B)

Captive breeding involves keeping and breeding animals in controlled environments away from their natural habitats to build up population numbers and preserve genetic diversity. The goal is to increase the species' numbers to help prevent extinction and, when possible, to reintroduce individuals back into the wild or bolster existing wild populations. This is different from breeding in the wild, which happens naturally in the animal’s native ecosystem. It’s not about harvesting animals for use (that would be selective harvesting), nor about altering genes through modification (genetic modification).