BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

(Antfer) #1
Ligers,tigonsand
whitetigers

Whataretheyandwhataretheissues
aroundbreedingthem?

A ligeristhehybridospringofa male
lionanda femaletiger,whilea tigonis
producedbya maletigeranda female
lion.Thereisnoscientificevidencethat
thesehybridsexistinthewild– even
if thespeciesencounteredeachother,
behaviouraldierencesbetweenthe
twowoulddeterthemfromreproducing.
Lionsliveinpridesandcoalitions,
whiletigersaresolitaryanimals.
Crossbreedingmakesligersthe
largestbigcatsonEarth,andmany
suerfromgeneticabnormalities.
Simplyput,big-cathybridsarea man-
madespeciesthatexistpurelyfor
entertainment,andtheydonotbenefit
theconservationofwildpopulations.
Whitetigerscanoccurnaturallydueto
a recessivegene,butthisisa rarecolour
mutationamongBengaltigers,rather
thana subspecies.Intentionalbreeding
toincreasethechancesofproducinga
whitetigeroftenleadstogeneticdefects


  • in2011,theAZAbannedmemberzoos
    fromtakingpartinthepractice.


Clockwise from top left: The Washington Post/Getty; Marc Piscotty/Getty; Barcroft Med


a/Getty;

The

Wash

ngton

Post/Getty;

Dnesen

Venkatache

am/EyeEm/Getty

A WildAnimalSanctuary
employeechecksin
ononeofthetigers
rescuedfromJoe
Exotic’sanimalpark.

Formerly owned by Joe
Exotic, Oklahoma’s
Wynnewood Exotic
Animal Park continues
to draw in the crowds.

July 2020 BBC Wildlife 35

NEWS FEATURE

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