I will check the precise details, but from what I remember of my reading on the history of Zoos, some concerned and enlightened individuals realised what was happening to the Passenger Pigeon while others were still gleefully taking potshots. However at the time some Zoo Directors were frequently less concerned with the animals than they were with their own social standing, and the keeper who suggested putting Passenger Pigeons on display with a view to captive breeding would have been regarded with the same disdain at someone who suggested conserving the brown rat. By the time efforts were be made to secure some for breeding, the numbers available were simply too low to go through the learning process required with any new species in captivity, never mind start to think about establishing a stable population.
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