Florida crossed eight Texas cougars with cats related to 26 dying Florida panthers—and the move triggered an unexpected fight. Critics warned the hybridization would destroy the panther’s unique genetic identity.
In the early 1990s, fewer than 30 Florida panthers remained in the wild, concentrated in the swamps west of Miami. The population was genetically isolated and showed clear signs of inbreeding collapse, including heart defects, reproductive abnormalities, and low genetic diversity. A 1992 study estimated a 95 percent chance the subspecies would be extinct within two decades.In response, state and f…