India’s zoos are emerging as unexpected powerhouses in the global fight to save biodiversity, a new study says. Researchers evaluated 23 Indian zoos recognised by the Central Zoo Authority. They tested links between zoo features and measurable conservation outcomes. The strongest finding concerned breeding programmes. Zoos running conservation breeding programmes housed far more threatened mammals, birds and reptiles. The statistical link was significant, with a p-value of 0.0067. India’s track record is impressive. Gharial breeding at Nandankanan and the Madras Crocodile Bank, plus mugger recovery in the National Chambal Sanctuary, lifted wild populations by over 500 per cent since the 1970s. The Central Zoo Authority was set up in 1992. It began scientific breeding for the red panda, Asiatic lion and gharial before such work became global policy. Its National Studbook Project, run with the Wildlife Institute of India, tracks pedigrees to manage genetics. The authority has identified 73 endangered species for breeding, each with a recovery plan tied to protected areas.