Cheetah bottleneck

[Susan Jane Hogarth]

Hi,

I've heard "somewhere" that Cheetahs were thought to have gone through a
genetic "bottleneck" a long time before humans could possibly have been
responsible. Now I'm involved in a dispute over whether human activity
has had a negative impact on Cheetah populations. I was under the
impression that they were "doomed" genetically, and were sitting ducks
for the first infection which targeted their surviving genotype. I know
that humans are working to help Cheetahs through captive breeding.

My questions:

How many Cheetahs are there?

Are humans responsible for Cheetah population decline? Diversity
decline?

How much diversity *is* there in Cheetah populations?

What is actually being done in the way of breeding?

Are they doomed?

References?

Thanks lots.
-- 


Susan Jane Hogarth

"Luck is the residue of design." -- Freddy the Fish 

"Personally, I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like
being
taught." -- Winston Churchill

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~sjhogart/public/home.html

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