Ligers, Zonkeys and other hybrids

M

MexPirate

Active Member
15+ year member
I am interested to know what people think about Ligers (Cross between a Lion & Tiger), Zonkeys (Zebra & Donkey) and any other hybrids that people may be aware of:

Where are these animals?
Are any zoo's actively breeding them?
What are your opinions about them?
Are these animals actually regarded as "species", do they have latin names?

I will keep this post free of my opinions for the moment as I want to start discussion from an unbiased starting point.

Here is a list that I found on the interweb with a "top 10" list of hybrids: http://www.hemmy.net/2006/06/19/top-10-hybrid-animals/


Also an "interesting" theory stating that zonkeys support the story of Noah and his ark: http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v26/i3/zonkey.asp
 
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I think this has been discussed in other threads before but is worth an update anyway. Most people on here seem of the opinion that hybrids have no place in modern zoos and should not be produced at all. I personally think they are very interesting, though I don't advocate their deliberate creation either.
 
I don't think there is any justifications for breeding hybrids, and it should be made illegal, up tot he point were existing animals should be destroyed as well. There sole purpose is a bit of wow factor and kerching at the box office, and a status symbol when help in private hands.
I think that white lions and tigers can also be added into this catergory as pointless things to produce.

I'm got sick of people coming up to me when I was a cat keeper telling me I ought to get rid of the sumatran tigers I worked with and get those rare snow tigers, you know those white ones!!!! one sharp in take of breath and a paddington bearesque hard stare later I would then proceed to educate them with an in depth history of white tigers vs the conservation of tiger sub-species until they shuffled away having come round to my way of thinking!!
 
I wonder what the reaction would be if it was decided to put all these animals down, personally I think I would actually support such a move as a clear signal to animals collections and the public that these hybrids are wrong - would you extend the same to more common hybrids such as a mule for example though?

I was pretty suprised to see that Colchester Zoo had a zonkey at one point that was kept on display at some point not too long ago.

As you said, I can't see any point other than the "wow/money making" factor - no coincidence that Ligers are more common/well known than the small Tigon!

The thing that gets me is that there ARE zoo's around that seem intent on breeding hybrids - often in America (of course) and take great pride in their abominations, the story of the wolphin sent shivers down my spine - "The first captive wholphin was born on May 15, 1985 where a female bottlenose dolphin named Punahele and a male false killer whale named Tanui Hahai shared a pool. The wholphin's size, color and shape are intermediate between the parent species. Named Kekaimalu, she has 66 teeth - intermediate between a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth).

The wholphin proved fertile when she gave birth at a very young age. Unfortunately, the calf died after a few days. However, in 1991, Kekaimalu gave birth once again, to daughter Pohaikealoha. For 2 years she cared for the calf, but did not nurse it (it was hand-reared by trainers). Pohaikealoha died at age 9.

On December 23, 2004, Kekaimalu had her third calf, daughter Kawili'Kai, sired by a male bottlenose. This calf did nurse and was very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a 1-year-old bottlenose dolphin.

Both remain in captivity, and are now part of the normal tour at Sea Life Park. The backstage tour must be taken to see the wholphins. Kekaimalu is featured in the main dolphin show at Sea Life Park."

You would think that breeding such a thing in the first place would create outrage, not prompt the response to keep trying to breed from the animal - especially with the events that happened with it's offspring.

It seems that the public perception with a lot of these animals is verging on positive - wonder how the same people would react if a human/chimp hybrid was produced!: Humanzee - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I always wonder why no has ever succeed creating a white liger-the "perfect" big cat for showbusiness...;)
 
I think if a zoo has a Liger and want to exhibit it, then I would have no problem with it, providing they educated people about them being a hybrid. I don't think any existing ones should be destroyed though, just not purposely bred.
 
This ability of donkeys, horses and zebras to breed with one another indicates they all descended from the same original created ‘kind’, as specified in Genesis 1.4 This again helps us understand that Noah needed far fewer animals on the Ark than sceptics claim. Only two animals (maybe not horses as we know them today) were needed to represent the equine kind on the Ark.
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don't you just love fundamentalists?
 
Lol, where did that come from?
 
Chlidonias said:
don't you just love fundamentalists?
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ahhhh yes once upon a time this guy got two of everything from every continent in the world even though it would have taken years
to collect them and put them on a boat, and with gods guiding hand they all survived, apart from the dinosaurs (and lets not forget its the effects of the floods that aged the dinosaurs so they appear to be millions of years old, according to some people!!)

Now back in the real world.................
 
I'm in general agreement that hybrids should not be purposefully bred- both from a husbandry standpoint as well as a conservation standpoint. Yet I think euthanizing every hybrid/making hybrids illegal a bit drastic...especially considering the public protest that would result from it. I hvae a hard time picturing the general public understanding the distinction between a hybrid and a pure-bred...even if you explain it to them- they'll still see it as a living, breathing creature that a zoo is killing. Then again- it might just be based on my personal experiences with lovely visitors at the zoo :rolleyes:
 
Well I wouldn't be happy if a zoo killed an animal just because it was a hybrid, as long as they're not advertising it as an endangered species that needs conserving.
 
ashley-h said:
Well I wouldn't be happy if a zoo killed an animal just because it was a hybrid, as long as they're not advertising it as an endangered species that needs conserving.
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That's a good point- I don't think I've ever seen zoo promote that image though. At most they would be telling zoo visitors that some hybrids might occur naturally (ex., coyote/wolf), but anything beyond that would be highly unusual.
 
Well they do say white tigers are a critically endangered species ;)
 
ashley-h said:
Well they do say white tigers are a critically endangered species ;)
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HAHA touche- forgot that classical example :o...hopefully there aren't any other really obvious ones I've missed out...I'd still like to think that zoos are playing their role in correctly educating the public though.
 
I think they're interesting, but I don't think they should be purposefully bred. I definitely don't think they should be killed.
 
Hybrid species have some value fom a genetic standpoint, but zoos should not be keeping and/or breeding hybrid mammal species as the resources used to keep them would be better off used on endangered species. The resaources used for small hybrid bird species is insignificant, yet displaying hybrids often sends the wrong message to the public.
Destruction of hybrids currently held in zoos would probably be taking things a bit too far.

As for things like white lions, white tigers, King Cheetahs etc., the genes for these animals exist in wild populations, so these animals should not necessarily be treated in the same way as hybrids. However, breeding specifically to get a litter white animals is breeding 'designer' animals and should not be encouraged by responsible zoos.

I know of one zoo director who communicated to his staff that their zoo should acquire any and all white/albino animals that became available in other zoos and fauna parks, as they were a big drawcard with the public. Luckily, his staff had other ideas and brought him around to their way of thinking.

:)

Hix
 
I am normally against the deliberate breeding of hybrids.

One zoo I know of had single sex specimens of two species of closely related birds. This genus had never been bred in captivity, nor had any nesting behaviour been recorded in the wild. The pair laid fertile eggs which were destroyed. In this case I think it was a shame, breeding hybrid chicks was against the policy of the collection, but I think much important data could have been obtained from a one off breeding, such as incubation time and chick development.
 
"the story of the wolphin sent shivers down my spine "

- Don't laugh i was actually trying to picture a wolf with a dolphin.:eek:
 
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