Research overview: genetic rescue of the Florida panther

The Florida panther, a small isolated puma population, suffered severe inbreeding manifesting in physical defects such as kinked tails, undescended testicles, and heart abnormalities, prompting a landmark genetic rescue in which pumas from Texas were introduced to restore genetic diversity. The intervention improved health markers and population numbers, becoming a celebrated case study in conservation genetics and management. This overview compiles the conservation literature rather than one source, describing the inbreeding problems documented, how introducing outside individuals reversed genetic depression, and the veterinary and genetic monitoring that accompanied the program. It matters because the Florida panther demonstrates both the real costs of inbreeding in isolated felid populations and the power of science-guided genetic management to rescue a population suffering from depleted genetic diversity.