Bristol Zoo Project launches global search for Critically Endangered fish's perfect match

Bristol Zoo Project has launched a global search to find a match for a Critically Endangered Cameroon cichlid after discovering that just one individual is recorded in accredited zoos worldwide. It is now appealing to zoos, aquariums and specialist fish keepers to help the fish find 'the one' by identifying other individuals of the same species.

The Konia eisentrauti cichlid is found in just one place on Earth – Lake Barombi Mbo, a volcanic crater lake in Cameroon – where habitat loss and deforestation are threatening its only natural home.

Bristol Zoological Society already protects five of Lake Barombi Mbo’s eleven Critically Endangered cichlid species as part of its conservation breeding programme. It is now appealing to zoos, aquariums and specialist fish keepers around the world to help locate more Konia eisentrauti cichlids so a breeding programme for the species can be established.

The discovery was made when the cichlids were moved from Bristol Zoo’s old site to the African Forest habitat at Bristol Zoo Project. A search of the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) – the international database used by accredited zoos and aquariums – revealed it is the only known individual of the species recorded in accredited collections worldwide.

Brian Zimmerman, Director of Conservation and Science at Bristol Zoological Society, said:

"You could say this fish is lost in the crowd. It lives alongside other threatened cichlids, but none of them are its own species. Somewhere in the world, another individual could be swimming in a zoo, aquarium or specialist collection, waiting to be recognised.

"Every successful conservation breeding programme starts with bringing the right breeding partners together. Finding even a handful more fish could be the first step towards building a safety population and giving this species a future."

Visitors to Bristol Zoo Project can discover five Critically Endangered cichlid species in the crocodile house in African Forest, where they live alongside a Critically Endangered slender-snouted crocodile.

The search forms part of Bristol Zoological Society’s long-term ambition to protect nine of Lake Barombi Mbo’s Critically Endangered cichlid species through conservation breeding. It is part of the charity’s international conservation work to protect some of the world’s most threatened species across eight countries, including Cameroon, where it has worked to conserve biodiversity in Bénoué National Park since 2016.

Anyone who believes they may have this species in their collection is encouraged to contact Bristol Zoological Society at: [email protected]