Research overview: inbreeding depression in captive felids

Inbreeding in small captive populations can reduce fertility, increase juvenile mortality, and cause physical and reproductive abnormalities, collectively termed inbreeding depression. This overview surveys evidence for inbreeding depression in managed felids, including reduced reproductive success and elevated incidence of defects in closely bred lineages. It reviews how studbook-based management aims to avoid such matings and how documented cases, such as inbred lion and cheetah populations, illustrate the reproductive costs. The review connects inbreeding depression to the rationale for genetic management, gene flow, and biobanking. Understanding inbreeding depression clarifies why preserving genetic diversity is not abstract but directly tied to the fertility, health, and viability of felid populations in captivity and the wild.