For many years, Select Breeders Services (SBS) has collaborated with horse and donkey owners to preserve breeds classified by The Livestock Conservancy as critical, threatened, recovering, or on the watch list for extinction. Saving these breeds is crucial, as The Livestock Conservancy notes they “represent an irreplaceable piece of earth’s biodiversity and offer incredible variety that may be needed for future farms." What do these classifications by The Livestock Conservancy mean?

 Critical 

• considered extremely rare and at risk of extinction
• typically has fewer than 200 annual registrations in the United States
• has an estimated worldwide population of less than 500 individuals

Threatened  

• population is significantly low, with a small number of breeding animals
• at risk of becoming extinct if immediate conservation efforts aren't taken
• defined by a low number of annual registrations and a limited global population

Recovering

• population of that breed is increasing after previously being at a low level
• indicating a positive trend where the breed is moving away from the threat of extinction and is gradually becoming more established again

Watch

• considered to be at risk of becoming endangered
• with a relatively small population and potential genetic concerns
• requiring monitoring and conservation efforts to prevent its decline

SBS is proud to have worked with nearly half of the 40 horse and donkey breeds on this list, most recently being the Poitou Donkey (pictured above)  For more information about the discount SBS offers on frozen semen processing and storage fees, please contact us. This discount is available to owners whose breed is currently listed on The Livestock Conservancy’s website.

See Also:  Saving the Poitou Donkey

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