The Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's Center for Species Survival (CSS) is a collaborative group of scientists and animal care professionals that conducts basic and applied research, especially in the fields of reproductive and welfare sciences, and animal and biomaterials management, to understand biological mysteries and implement practical solutions to help rare species survive. Since 1983, CSS scientists have pioneered innovative approaches to solve wildlife conservation problems around the world, with the goal of avoiding extinction and creating methods to sustain viable wildlife populations—in zoos and the wild.