Hybrid Panthers Helping Rare Cat Rebound in Florida
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100924-science-florida-panthers-texas-hybrids-endangered-animals/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100924-science-florida-panthers-texas-hybrids-endangered-animals/
The Florida panthers used to be hunted during the 1900's and the few remaining ones were driven to South Florida swamps. At first the panthers were bread them with each other but that lead to health problems. One of the health problems was hearts problems.They then were bread with the Texas cougars, which is what some panthers did in the 19th century. The cougars help the population of the panthers increase. This genetic change has help the panthers for example they now live longer and are better at surviving. O'Brien, chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity said, "we don't feel like we fiddled so much with nature." The panthers are not completely out of danger but they have made progress in bring the population up. Their next challenge is to "conserve existing habitat for these animals, as well as allow them to expand into some areas of their former range." These new panthers have been researched and monitored for more then twenty years and will most likely be monitored until there is more then a hundred. Overall combining the old and new genes together has helped the panthers.
I think that they have done the right thing in helping the panthers. There seems to be a lot of work that needs to be done and it seems that it will take a lot of time to increase the population. I also think that we should have done more to protect these animals before they became endangered. We should have made it illegal to hunt them back then and now. It's a good thing that they monitor the animals so they can know how they're doing or else we would not know how they are doing. I'm glad they can not only increase the population but also make them better adapted for survival. A prediction I would make about the challenge is that if we exceed then they would be able to survive on their on without us having to interfere with them. Also I would predict that it will take a lot of time and might not be easy. In my opinion we should have taken more steps to prevent the panthers form becoming endangered.
1.) Do you think they should have put all this time into these animals or do you think that we should have kept the few remaining ones in captivity? Why or why not?
2.) Do you think that the hybrid panthers should be sent into their old habitat now or a few more years?
3.) Do you think it was right for the panthers to be crossbreed with another species?
4.)If you made a prediction about their next challenge what would it be?
I do think they should have put time into these animals because it is important that they survive. It is not fair how they might have died of because of human hunting. I think maybe half of the hybrid panthers should be sent into their old habitat now, so we can see how they do. If they're fine, then we should let the rest of them go, but if they're not then we should keep them longer. Since we can't keep them forever, were going to have to let them out eventually, though. If they don't survive, then that means these types of hybrid panthers weren't meant for it. I'm not sure if it was right for them to do that. It's a really hard question to answer, because they do this with dogs but no one questions it. I think that they should have done it once or twice to see how it turned out, rather then doing a whole bunch at once. I think their next challenge is making sure the the hybrid panthers stay safe and in good health if they let them out, to make sure they didn't create a huge mess.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the decision made to put time into helping the existing animals. Now that they have been bred with other species, there is a boom in the population. If they keep the panthers where they are for a few more years, the boom will likely continue. Then the healthy population can be moved back into its natural habitat. I think it was good for them to be crossbred with other species, as it ended up helping the population. The next challenge would likely be making sure the species stays healthy and does not end up dying out.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic, and Marisa, you are right, they do this all the time with dogs, why not try it with endangered cats.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was a good idea to put so much time and effort into the panthers because it prevented them from becoming extinct. If they were not taken care of, the few remaining ones could have died out. I think that we should wait a few more years before sending them back to their old enviornoment, so they can continue to stay healthy and reproduce. Then, we can slowly begin the transformation of moving them into their original habitat. I think that it is perfectly fine for the panthers to cross breed with the cougars because it increased their population and prevented them from becoming extinct. I think that the panther's next challenge will be moving back to their orginal environment. Since they adapted to living in the new environment, it will be difficult to get used to the old one. Hopefully, they will stay healthy and continue to reproduce in the old habitat.
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