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While there aren´t a great many zoos or roadside attractions that have ligers, they certainly do exist. A liger results from a breeding between a male lion and a female tiger.
One look at any of the popular liger pictures found all over the...

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While there aren´t a great many zoos or roadside attractions that have ligers, they certainly do exist. A liger results from a breeding between a male lion and a female tiger.
One look at any of the popular liger pictures found all over the internet and you would think that these animals are strong, fit, and healthy. Sadly, though, this is simply not the case with a majority of these animals.
The first liger litter was born in 1824. They died within a year. The second round of ligers, born in 1825 only survived a short while as well. The third ever litter was born around 1826, and only survived a few months. This alone should have been a huge indication that something was wrong, and that these animals shouldn´t be created. But people are fascinated with strange or unusual things, so the practice has continued up until this very day.
There are also birthing problems. The abnormal size of a liger cub may cause a miscarriage. If the liger cub comes out alive, many have been recorded to last only a few days or weeks. Since the liger cub is born so much larger than a normal tiger cub, the mother often requires a C-Section. This can be fatal, and it is reckless and selfish to put a tigress through this just for a liger cub.
Ligers lack a growth-inhibiting gene and are prone to gigantism. This means they grow throughout a very large portion of their lives. Because of this, some ligers have actually been disposed of once they get to a size deemed to dangerous.
Tigons, animals that result from a breeding with a male tiger and female lion, share a similar story.
Tigons are often born prematurely. Unlike ligers, tigons typically are very small, and prone to dwarfism.
Ligers and tigons share a lot of problems as well. Both have health problems due to genetic abnormalities and neurological defects associated with hybridization. Being hybrids, they are not genetically strong, and typically live much shorter lives than either of

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