Steve O'Brien

The Packers invited Steve O'Brien at the National Cancer Institute and his colleagues from Washington's National Zoo to conduct genetic studies of the crater lions in 1984. O'Brien had surveyed the genetics of several different cat species through his research on feline leukemia. Genetics and reproductive physiology of the crater lions were assessed by comparing them with the nearby Serengeti lions, since long-term studies of the Serengeti population had shown that close inbreeding is almost nonexistant in that area.