Genetic Restoration of the Florida Panther

This study evaluated the landmark 1995 intervention in which eight female Texas pumas were released into Florida to counteract the inbreeding crisis of the endangered Florida panther. Tracking the population over fifteen years, the authors showed that admixed descendants had higher heterozygosity, fewer inbreeding-related defects, better survival, and contributed disproportionately to population growth, which roughly tripled. The work demonstrated that carefully managed gene flow can rescue a small, isolated population from genetic deterioration without erasing its identity, since the goal was to restore historical connectivity rather than to replace the lineage. It remains the most cited real-world success of genetic rescue in conservation.