cat genetics
- Thread starter jay
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I have just finished reading an (admittedly old) report on the genetics of small cats in the world's zoos by American zoologist Dr. Jill Mellen.
It's worrying stuff. Dr. Mellen's studies show that the genetic base of most species in captivity (that is, the number of founders) is very limited, and has led and will lead to inbreeding problems. In some species such as Pallas' cat, the sand cat and the rusty spotted cat all currently in zoos have derived from just three or four founders and are badly in need of fresh genes.
Because such species are becoming rarer in the wild, it is almost impossible for fresh blood to be legally obtained. In addition, small cats are far from ideal zoo exhibits, preferring to hide away from the public, and a lot won't breed if forced to be on display. Zoos lose interest - "benign neglect" she calls it.
One aspect of her study surprised Dr. Mellen. She had assumed that the less interaction cats had with their keepers, the better they would breed. What she found was that the opposite was the case. The more time a keeper spent interacting with the cats in his or her care, the better the chance of reproduction. She concluded that unless small cats feel comfortable with their human caretakers they are not as likely to be successful breeders.
It's worrying stuff. Dr. Mellen's studies show that the genetic base of most species in captivity (that is, the number of founders) is very limited, and has led and will lead to inbreeding problems. In some species such as Pallas' cat, the sand cat and the rusty spotted cat all currently in zoos have derived from just three or four founders and are badly in need of fresh genes.
Because such species are becoming rarer in the wild, it is almost impossible for fresh blood to be legally obtained. In addition, small cats are far from ideal zoo exhibits, preferring to hide away from the public, and a lot won't breed if forced to be on display. Zoos lose interest - "benign neglect" she calls it.
One aspect of her study surprised Dr. Mellen. She had assumed that the less interaction cats had with their keepers, the better they would breed. What she found was that the opposite was the case. The more time a keeper spent interacting with the cats in his or her care, the better the chance of reproduction. She concluded that unless small cats feel comfortable with their human caretakers they are not as likely to be successful breeders.
Thank you Ara for posting your info about small cats. I had to reread the whole thread again and it made me realise how much I miss Patricks contributions.
Aren't there a lot of species kept in captivity with small founder populations. I suspect this comes about because of the lack of any real attempt to establsi captive populations in the past. A few individuals were originally caught, bred, then one or two more wild animals added in. This is why it is good to see modern zoos creating a wider variation at the beginning with new species. In Australia this has been seen with the white and Black rhinos and the elephant.
Back to my original post I have been discovering that quite a lot of species have very little genetic variation in the wild. A couple of these is the African Wild Dog and the African buffalo.
Aren't there a lot of species kept in captivity with small founder populations. I suspect this comes about because of the lack of any real attempt to establsi captive populations in the past. A few individuals were originally caught, bred, then one or two more wild animals added in. This is why it is good to see modern zoos creating a wider variation at the beginning with new species. In Australia this has been seen with the white and Black rhinos and the elephant.
Back to my original post I have been discovering that quite a lot of species have very little genetic variation in the wild. A couple of these is the African Wild Dog and the African buffalo.
I don't know why she was surprised. Keepers have to enter the enclosures of small cats on a semi-regular basis to feed and clean. If the cats aren't familiar with the keepers this will cause high stress levels, the reverse of what's needed for successful breeding. I think Howlett's success with breeding Clouded Leopards and other small cats demonstrates this.
Good point, Pertinax.
She also stated; (again just common sense I suppose,) that the most reproductively successful males were those which were confident around females - just like humans I guess.
To quote Dr. Mellen,"Successful males avidly pursued females,following, approaching, sniffing them, responding to aggressive swipes by staying just out of reach"(sounds like me and my wife!
)"rolling on their backs and neck rubbing." Reproductively unsuccessful males showed either extreme aggression to the female or anxiously ignored her.
She also stated; (again just common sense I suppose,) that the most reproductively successful males were those which were confident around females - just like humans I guess.
To quote Dr. Mellen,"Successful males avidly pursued females,following, approaching, sniffing them, responding to aggressive swipes by staying just out of reach"(sounds like me and my wife!
)"rolling on their backs and neck rubbing." Reproductively unsuccessful males showed either extreme aggression to the female or anxiously ignored her.
I'm sure that I read something recently that suggested that there was more genetic variability within the wild cheetah population than previously thought. Maybe only East and southern African animals were tested? North African animals seem to be turning up more regularly, and the Iranians are planning to more to conserve the last Asians. Interesting to check whether these populations went through the same bottleneck.
The ex-Perth Syrians were siblings from the Adelaide line. I don't know how connected the Melbourne and Adelaide animals were, but I would be willing to bet they are. Barney and Missy (if still alive) ended up at Mareeba/Cairns safari park.
Its funny how all the Ursus arctos bears in Australia seem to end up in Cairns - probably the least suitable place climate-wise.
And the only polars in Australia are also in Queensland.
They should all be down in Tasmania. Zoos in Victoria and NSW should be chock-a-block with Asiatic blacks and spectacleds and Queensland should have sloth and sun bears.
(My idea of paradise!)
And the only polars in Australia are also in Queensland.
They should all be down in Tasmania. Zoos in Victoria and NSW should be chock-a-block with Asiatic blacks and spectacleds and Queensland should have sloth and sun bears.
(My idea of paradise!)
As someone mentioned Howletts' clouded leopards and confident males - Prague's pair of clouded leopards (in Prague since 2006 from Howletts) gave birth two litters already (December 2006 and March(or April) 2008). They have been quite hideous, I don't know how often keepers visit them, but they were very aggressive during their first litter if anyone barely occur in sight. The male was with the female during their first litter and during the seond one the cub was in danger because its mother prefered a company of the male rather than caring of the youngster. So I guess the male should be confidentGood point, Pertinax.
She also stated; (again just common sense I suppose,) that the most reproductively successful males were those which were confident around females - just like humans I guess.
To quote Dr. Mellen,"Successful males avidly pursued females,following, approaching, sniffing them, responding to aggressive swipes by staying just out of reach"(sounds like me and my wife!
. Keepers removed all sleeping booths except the maternal one to force her sleep near the baby and it worked.