Horrid Truth of Some of Our Favorite Big Cats: Liger,Tigon,and White Tiger | Teen Ink

Horrid Truth of Some of Our Favorite Big Cats: Liger,Tigon,and White Tiger

September 26, 2011
By Kayotic PLATINUM, Goodyear, Arizona
Kayotic PLATINUM, Goodyear, Arizona
37 articles 9 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
You aren't having fun unless you're commiting sin~ Priest


Many people charish the beauty of the white tigers.And those who have seen the existing ligers and tigons.Yet did you know those animals suffer?They were to never be created.They are mutations.A mistake of nature,a man made toy.It seems that no one truly cares about the animals,just the money these magnificent creatures bring in.There is much hidden behind their beauty that you cannot see with your eyes.

The white tigers are rare to find in the wild for a reason.They have a genetic mutation that causes their white coat.In the wild both parents have to carry the white gene for it to be possible for a white cub to be born.Normally if these cubs are born in the wild they are not expected to live into adulthood because normally the mother tiger abandons it for the safety of her other cubs.If the young cat does live into adulthood it will usually struggle to find food.Their pelts give them away while hunting so they normally feed off of carcasses left behind.If that isn't bad enough,some people kill off a white tiger if it is too ugly to make a good attraction.

Now as far as the ligers go,they obviously are a mix between a tiger and a lion.The father is a lion and the mom is a tiger.These big cats were an accident at first,now they are being bred.Ligers cannot mate with other ligers which means that they will never truly be a breed.Ligers are also proned to alot of disorders.One of those disorders is gigantism.Liger cubs are bigger than tiger cubs so the mother needs a c-section.She normally dies giving birth to the litter because of how big they are.Ligers are also side show attractions made for the greedy.Not many live after birth either because of their illness.Yet if they have the proper care they need,they can live as long as a normal big cat.

Tigons are very similar to ligers.Yet their parents are a little different.The dad is actually a tiger and the mom is a lioness.They share most of the same disorders except tigons are proned to dwarfism.These cats cannot breed either yet the female tigon can get pregnant.They also are not to live for longer than a few weeks after birth.Many tigons suffer from depression.Not wanting to eat is a sign of such behavior.No tigons or ligers live out of captivity.That is because in nature the two parents are too different to be mates.They may be big cats but they are nowhere near related to eachother.

These beautiful cats were not to be.Many suffer mutations or death.There is a reason why these cats are not found in the wild,that is because they cannot adapt or reproduce.Or their parents aren't supposed to be two different animals.Their beauty brings great joy to us and it would be a shame to think that such animals are to never exist.Yet it hurts the health of the animal to not give it proper care.These animals just need the proper care to survive in captivity.


The author's comments:
One night I had explained to my mom that while I was researching big cats I came across the liger.She doubted it for a minute and looked it up.Ligers are real and so are tigons.Yet they weren't supposed to happen.Yet one accident turned into a breeding process and I just wanted others to know what horrors these creatures face.

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on Oct. 7 2011 at 4:02 pm
Kayotic PLATINUM, Goodyear, Arizona
37 articles 9 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
You aren't having fun unless you're commiting sin~ Priest

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