IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Packer, C. | |
| Captives in the wild | |
| 1992 National Geographic: 122-134 | |
Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world's largest calderas, lies at the eastern edge of Tanzania's Serengeti Plain. The crater floor, while providing a life of plenty for the most densely packed lion population in Africa, is really only a small island of lion habitat. Anne and I suspected that the well-fed appearance of the lions might conceal the genetic vulnerabilities of a small population subjected to repeated inbreeding. Close inbreeding can cause a significant reduction in reproduction and infant survival. A major goal for people who manage captive-breeding programs is to minimize the incidence of inbreeding within their study areas. Many wild populations of large vertebrates are also at risk, because they have become isolated as a result of habitat fragmentation. Here was a population that appeared to be naturally isolated, so it could provide important insights into the long-term consequences of inbreeding. But what was the precise history of the crater lions? To answer this question, we needed to construct their family tree over at least five generations. We would have to track down every lion that had lived in the crater for the past quarter century. |
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