Mouflon the "Systema Naturæ", Linnaeus and Gmelin treated the mouflon and argali as one species. Von Schreiber used the combination "Ovis aries musimon" as early as 1782. In 1792, Robert Kerr listed the "Corsican argali" as a separate variety of argali ("Ovis Ammon europaea"), writing I have introduced this variety on the authority of Mr Pennant, who distinguishes between the Argali of Corsica and the Siberian, though the difference seems chiefly in colour ; one specimen brought from that island by the famous Paoli, differed from the above in colour, having a large white spot on the front of the neck,
European Endangered Species Programme loss of genetic variability, and accumulation of deleterious mutations. These problems can easily result in loss of original wild traits, and in the expression of heritable abnormalities. If what was once a pure, wild population of animals deteriorates through generations of uncontrolled breeding into inferior or partially domesticated stock, then the animals are no longer suitable for any conservation effort, and the zoos have failed to perform an important educational task. The effects of breeding captive populations of wild animals over periods of many generations have been well studied. Based on these studies and genetic theory, guidelines for breeding such