Research overview: the genetic bottleneck of the Asiatic lion

The Asiatic lion survives as a single population in and around the Gir Forest of western India, having recovered from perhaps a few dozen individuals around the start of the twentieth century. This overview surveys genetic studies documenting the population's extremely low diversity, including monomorphism at many markers and signs reminiscent of the cheetah, attributable to a severe bottleneck and prolonged isolation. It discusses concerns about disease vulnerability highlighted by a canine distemper outbreak, the contentious proposal to establish a second population to spread risk, and what the Gir lions reveal about the long-term consequences of demographic collapse in a big cat.