I thought maybe I could contribute here since I attend a college that concentrates very heavily on environmental science.And it's not a climate change thread either!
Read the link below for background and let's discuss the following question...
Considering that the Florida panther developed unique traits due to its inbreeding - such as a distinctive kink in its tail - was it 'wrong' to introduce Texas panthers into the population that would cause the disappearance of unique traits, even though it would ultimately increase genetic diversity within the population and save it from extinction by the severely deleterious effects of inbreeding? Or, more generally, is it worth it to save a small, genetically unhealthy population at the expense of its genetic uniqueness? (The unique kink in the tail did disappear with the introduction of the Texas panthers, by the way.)
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/20...cFactSheet.pdf