Political Crossfire Forums

[Richard Owl Mirror]

Asiatic lion


African lion

Why are the crossbred lions dying?
Quote: NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Nearly two dozen crossbred lions are slowly dying in northern India from a mysterious disease afflicting the hybrid offspring of Asiatic and African cats paired in a discontinued experimental program.

Zookeepers are mournfully watching the results of the program, which began in the late 1980s at the Chhatbir Zoo and was ended in 2002 after many of the nearly 80 crossbred lions were struck by a mysterious disease linked to inbreeding and a weakened gene pool, said Kuldip Kumar, Punjab state's conservator of forests and wildlife.

Wildlife officials had originally hoped the hybrid cats could be introduced into the wild in an effort to bolster India's endangered wild lion population.

When the program ended, all of the male lions were given vasectomies to prevent further breeding, Kumar said.

Indian wildlife laws prohibit killing the animals.

It will take about six years for the remaining 22 crossbred lions to die of natural causes, Kumar said.

Zoo authorities have decided to launch a new captive breeding project using "pure Asiatic lion stock from other zoos in the country, but only after the last of the earlier crop of lions have been phased out," he said.

The zoo has recently built an enclosed area for the oldest and most infirm of the lions, so they are not attacked by the more robust cats.

"At any time the zoo has around four to five lions that are too old and weak to compete with the younger, more aggressive lions," Kumar said.

The lions are fed boneless meat, he said.

Wildlife experts say rampant poaching is driving the Asiatic lion to extinction, especially in the Gir forests in western India, the last wild refuge of the big cats.

The last lion census conducted in the forests in 2000 put the number of Asiatic lions at 320. The animals' numbers have further dwindled due to poaching, open wells that act as death traps and human encroachment on lion habitat.

Lions are killed for their pelts and claws, both of which command a huge price in the illegal wildlife trade.


~@~

It would appear that this program should have been beneficial, especially given the similarities in the Lions.
I wonder if it's somehow tied to the immune system and the African Lion not having been exposed to a disease prevalent in India?
In my opinion, scientists shouldn't give up on this proposal as it may still yield beneficial results.
Maybe they should perform the breeding program in Africa and obtain a good stock of these hybrids, then transfer them back to India?

The article did not indicate if African Lions located in Asia have contracted the illness.
Perhaps they could boost the population in the wild by a simple transfer of African Lions?
Who know's, it could simply be the food they are being fed that is causing this occurrence?

[micfranklin]

Maybe scientists should do some more crossbreeding between the African and Asian species. That is one way to preserve a dying species IMO.

[micfranklin]

It's nice when other people post comments on this thread.

[Alizard]

micfranklin wrote: It's nice when other people post comments on this thread. Nobody knows the answer to the question as to why they are dying.

It doesn't matter. Within 50 years, most animals are going to be extinct.

[cap'n queasy]

I don't see why they should do more crossbreeding if results in dying lions. Better to try something that works.

It is a conundrum, though, it seems to me like the influx of different genes into their genepool would result in a stronger species. Weird.

[perdidochas]

Alizard wrote: micfranklin wrote: It's nice when other people post comments on this thread. Nobody knows the answer to the question as to why they are dying.

It doesn't matter. Within 50 years, most animals are going to be extinct.

And your evidence for this is?

[Alizard]

perdidochas wrote: Alizard wrote: micfranklin wrote: It's nice when other people post comments on this thread. Nobody knows the answer to the question as to why they are dying.

It doesn't matter. Within 50 years, most animals are going to be extinct.

And your evidence for this is?

Global warming which I assume you believe is a myth, so it is pointless to discuss it.

BTW, how do you "get evidence" of an impending extinction? Go forward in time and dig up the fossils?

Just keep partying, everything is hunky dory....

[perdidochas]

Alizard wrote: perdidochas wrote: Alizard wrote: micfranklin wrote: It's nice when other people post comments on this thread. Nobody knows the answer to the question as to why they are dying.

It doesn't matter. Within 50 years, most animals are going to be extinct.

And your evidence for this is?

Global warming which I assume you believe is a myth, so it is pointless to discuss it.

Not a myth, but probably not caused by humans either. We've had cycles of warmer and colder temperatures since the beginning of the earth 4-5 billion years ago.

Personally, I think changes in solar radiation are responsible for most of the "global warming" that we notice:
www.aip.org/history/climate/xsolar.htm


Alizard wrote: BTW, how do you "get evidence" of an impending extinction? Go forward in time and dig up the fossils?

How do you claim an impending extinction without evidence?

Alizard wrote: Just keep partying, everything is hunky dory....

Global warming is part of natural cycles. Why not party? There's nothing we can do about it.

[phoucault]

perdidochas wrote: Global warming is part of natural cycles. Why not party? There's nothing we can do about it.
Yes we can help alleviate it. Regardless of it't effects on the warming of the Earth, the clearly visible smog and pollution that hang over the globe certainly speak negativly on behalf of out societies policy on the environment. If nothing else, global warming serves as a poster child for environmental standards reform.

[phoucault]

micfranklin wrote: Maybe scientists should do some more crossbreeding between the African and Asian species. That is one way to preserve a dying species IMO.
That would destroy the entire idea of preserving a breed! It would simply create a third breed that would be even more rare and all the same inherent problems. Additionally in the same time that it took to crossbreed, two cycles of breeding could take place within the already existing lions.

[Pzatchok]

Maybe its a virus that contributed to them origionally becoming seperate species. Trying to reunite them into one might have brought back the same weaknesses that origionally allowed the disease.


Or its just a new form of lion AIDS. Maybe there was a "confused" lion in the group.

[phoucault]

Pzatchok wrote: Maybe its a virus that contributed to them origionally becoming seperate species. Trying to reunite them into one might have brought back the same weaknesses that origionally allowed the disease.


Or its just a new form of lion AIDS. Maybe there was a "confused" lion in the group.
Where did you get that idea? Is that a commom occurence in the animal world? But regardless, combining would destroy the idea of preserving an individual breed.