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Cheetahs and tigers are the most endangered hunting cats and, probably
due to inbreeding, have very few natural defenses against disease and epidemics.
Scientists are convinced that the entire cheetah population descended
from a very few forebears, possibly even from a single mating pair that survived some form of natural catastrophe thousands of years ago. All cheetahs are so
closely related that they could theoretically receive transplant organs from
one another without showing any signs of rejection. Due to their endangered
status, conservationists are allowed to interfere with the processes of natural
selection when, for instance, a young cheetah loses its mother and has to be
hand-reared. In such situations, young cheetahs are fed live animals to keep
their hunting instincts alive.