The cheetahs in Figure 23.26 are among the roughly 20,000 of these sleek, swift cats left in the world. One reason cheetahs have become endangered is that about 10,000 years ago cheetahs experienced a severe loss in their numbers, and since then the survivors have been inbreeding. As a result, today’s cheetah gene pool has very little variation and includes alleles that reduce the sperm counts of males and impair the animals’ resistance to certain diseases. Based on what you’ve read in this chapter about genetic variation, does it seem likely that a “gene therapy” program might be able to correct the genetic problems and help cheetahs make a comeback? Explain your answer.

Figure 23.26