Re: genetic diversity revisited
RogerMalo at aol.com
Mon, 15 Apr 1996 22:41:11 -0400
I keep reading about the perceived problems of lack of genetic diversity when
animals are kept captive. I remember that Cheeta ((spelling?) African cats
and the fastest land mammals - are so lacking in genetic diversity that skin
can be grafted from one to another and the body does not reject it. As far
as I know these are and have been primarily wild animals rather than captive
pets.
It seems to me that a small population will have a small diversity
whether it is becoming extinct in the wild or being kept in captivity.
Wildness does not necessarily equal perfection.
Roger