prove beneficial to Florida population
How the Texas puma saved the Florida panther
How the Texas puma saved the Florida panther
Introduction of Texas mountain lions
- Thread starter Daktari JG
- Start date
You bring up an interesting question. I think, given their low numbers (and how closely related all cheetahs are) that yes injecting a few African cheetahs into the gene pool might be their only hope. In fact there are plans (that keep getting put on hold) to introduce African cheetahs into the historic range of the Asiatic cheetah in India. As for the last Asiatic population in Iran, the first step though is to ensure they are fully protected and the killings cease.
Going back to the original article regarding the Florida panther (puma), it was nice to see an acquaintance of mine mentioned at the end (Dr Melanie Culver from University of Arizona, whose lab is about a mile from my home).
The "problem" with bringing in new animals from another population / subspecies is that we will loose the purity of the rare / endangered subspecies which is being helped.
On the other hand, which choise do we have : an inbred pure subspecies which will disappear because of the inbreeding or an inpure but more healthy population ?
On the other hand, which choise do we have : an inbred pure subspecies which will disappear because of the inbreeding or an inpure but more healthy population ?
I'm not a genetic expert, but from the knowledge I think it's a pretty easy choice. Cheetahs serve the same ecological purpose in the region, regardless of their origin. The idea of "impure subspecies" seems flawed to me, especially considering that a) the concept of what constitutes a "subspecies" is variable and often doesn't relate to genetics anyway, and b) subspecies can and do interbreed at the boundaries of their geographic ranges, as do some animals that are considered different species. Also: much of the unique alleles from the Asiatic population would persist in the new one, without the genetic disadvantages brought on by inbreeding, which I think is much more serious risk long-term than genetic "impurities" ever will be.