Do you guys know about this kinda stuff??

[Adrian]

QUOTE;' Maybe the unatural lives they live in zoos screw them up somehow.'

Yeah EXACTLY! Look what happens to humans in prison... acording to the rumors...

[sidewinder]

Point well taken Adrian. I think your on to something!

[JimmyDavid]

[i] some of these inbred cats die shortly after birth..so sad. [/B]

That's the never endind debate that puzzles most of us. What's worse: To taste life for only a brief period of time, or to never even exist at all?

[Paleosuchus]

JimmyDavid, that does puzzle me but in my opinion has nothing to do with hybrid /inbred animals. They shouldnt even exist to begin with.

[JimmyDavid]

I suppose you are right, but we must always remember that we are way to "little" to see the big picture. What exactly means "they shouldn't exist"? Is always tricky, to say something like that.
Some people use a religious aproach, others a scientific, but either way you lose. If you are the religious kind, it means GOD knows who must or must not exist, not you! Going down the scientific way, you also lose, because the first rule is that nature is cruel and doesn't care about your opinion, if the genes are compatible then it will work, period.
I, for myself, prefer to stay out of those tricky debates.

[Lioness]

JIMMY..THAT AS SO WELL SAID.
I APPLAUD U!

BUT WHAT IF U WERE THE SUBJECT IN QUESTION..WOULD U WANT TO LIVE A SHORT AND HARSH LIFE..OR NOT EXIST AT ALL?

JUST WONDERING UR OPINION..I SEE UR A DEEP THINKER..

[Lioness]

Originally posted by sidewinder
Also, I would think thier offspring would all be sterile.

I dont want to say Always..cus i dont like the words "ALWAYS" and "NEVER"..
but MOST of the time..they are sterile.

[Adrian]

meh, give both sides credit... God says yes, as the documents often commented them as "a miracle". Nature then says no... cue the infections. Obviously the will and way exists for a reason. However unclear the reason is. In either case, if it happens, it deserves a fair chance. The more we can learn from such odd combinations the more we learn about ourselves.

[ravensgait]

Now I don't know about big cats but hybrids do happen in nature, one that I've seen is Mule Deer/Whitetail Deer, there are many others out there. Having had cats I can see it happening without having to drug the animals. Had one that use to try to get the dog to breed her.

It's funny the comments that some here have made against cross breeding . How many who think this is wrong have dogs and cats?or any of the reptile Morphs? We've been breeding animals to fit our needs and or desires for ever.
Randy

[BAZ]

Man has always manipulated nature. Its how we got our domestic animals. Most tigers in captivity are privatly owned and really serve no conservation purpose. A lot may be inbred aswell. I have no problem with animals such as Ligers and white tigers. The good zoos are working on conservation of species and good captive breeding policies that ensures genetic diversity so im fine with letting the zoos do their job and private owners enjoying their animals.

Ligers could have naturally been produced in the wild in the past when their ranges overlapped. The asiatic lion could have bred with the tiger.. u never know.

Inbreeding does cause problems in many animals but if we are going to condemn it with big cats then we should also be condemning it in dogs... many breeds come with a list of health problems because they have been selectively bred.

[JimmyDavid]

Lioness, thanks. You show some valid points as well, so i can tell you are an inteligent person

Baz, you took the words out of my mouth (my keyboard, i mean)

[Lioness]

Originally posted by BAZ
many breeds come with a list of health problems because they have been selectively bred.

thats the problem im having with it..that humans think they can play God. If the animals are going to do it in the wild..then so be it..but the babies arent always born healthy and thats something they have to deal with..but when u keep 2 animals (i.e lioness and leopard) in heat for a certain amount of time..and then allow the two to be housed together..its forcefully creating something that wouldnt have been if it wasnt for the third hand involved (humans). the reason they had to drug that lioness was because they know she wouldnt've allowed the leopard to mount her..also they know that physically the leopard cant.. its really not meant to be.
but i guess in this case..its to each their own..

[ravensgait]

Lioness, You couldn't get more of an outcross then that!!!!! and beside inbreeding isn't such a bad thing, it happens all the time in nature. Cross breeding often produces mules but other then that the animals are usually very very healthy. Out crosses or cross breeding is often done to help fix genetic problems in a breed. The only thing inbreeding can do is bring out faults that are already there. In itself it does not create any genetic problems.

Do you know for a fact the lioness was drugged? Animals will find a way, I once saw a tinny little mut of about 8 pounds breed a Great Dane. As they say if there's a will there is a way.

For the life of me I can't understand why you have a problem with cross breeding it happens all the time through mans intervention or in nature . Be interesting to know what kind of animals you've owned.
Randy

[BAZ]

Lioness.. I don’t think that cross breeding animals is “playing God”. Like I said... from the beginning when mankind began to interact with animals we have been manipulating them in some way or another. From things like clipping birds wings so they don’t fly away, cropping dogs ears and tails, shaving poodles, etc. Then we have also been selectively breeding dogs to get different breeds, same with chicken and pigeons, cows, goats etc to bring out certain traits whether these are for practical reasons like to give more milk or for purely our own enjoyment. We have now started to do the same with snake morphs and lizards (like beardies). Croc farms will cross breed certain crocs for a higher quality skin. And some people are doing this with big cats.

I can see where you are coming from though.. I would not personally want to cross breed an animal if I know for a fact that this will significantly lower the animals life span and give it major health problems but I would see this happening more in some dog breeds than cross-bred big cats.

[Tim and Julie B]

Originally posted by wiseman001
I also say a TV show on a " Lyger "

It stood over 8 feet tall..all white and a enormace girth to this Lyger and only 1 of a kind..I think it was on Maury Povich... and some celebrity Mother had it.. I can't remember her name but she has a some sort of sanctuary of them.. There was also a Movie made about this place with all the tigers... I'm SURE someone will think of her name b4 my next post when i remember it...

Betty White and Goldie Hahn (or however you spell her last name) also have rescue facilities taking in unwanted Large cats from back yard breeders. They get a lot of ligors.