Research overview: inbreeding depression and genetic rescue in isolated cats

Small, isolated cat populations risk inbreeding depression, and genetic rescue, introducing individuals from other populations, has been used to counter it. This overview surveys the concept and its felid case studies, most famously the Florida panther, where translocated Texas pumas restored vigor to a deeply inbred population. It reviews how genetic rescue is evaluated, the risks of outbreeding, and how it relates to natural connectivity. The synthesis frames genetic rescue as a powerful but interventionist tool for cats trapped in fragments, illustrating both its dramatic successes and the preference for maintaining natural gene flow through corridors so that populations can exchange genes, and track climate, without repeated human intervention.