'Every egg counts': Zoo breeds rare butterfly in captivity

摘要

Conservationists have successfully bred the rare Oregon silverspot butterfly in captivity, a potential breakthrough for saving a species that once was found in coastal regions from California to British Columbia but is now reduced to five isolated populations, the Oregon Zoo said. The captive breeding resulted in 269 silverspot caterpillars that will be released into the wild once they transform into butterflies. "This is a really exciting breakthrough," Tia Perry, a keeper in the butterfly conservation lab, said in a statement Tuesday. "Not only does it mean we can release more silverspots in Oregon, but it's something that can benefit the imperiled population in California as well."