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Hybrid of Lion and Tiger

Liger Born in Romania: Why Breeding This Big Cat Is Problematic

A liger cub sits in the Zaharesti Zoo near the city of Suceava in northeastern Romania (undated photo). The animal was born in mid-May 2025.
In mid-May, a liger cub named "Goliath" was born—a rare hybrid cat resulting from a lion and a tiger. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Cosmin Romega
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July 15, 2025, 11:48 am | Read time: 4 minutes

A nine-week-old liger named Goliath is currently causing a stir. The unusual big cat cub was born in mid-May at a private zoo in Zaharesti, Romania. PETBOOK editor and biologist Saskia Schneider explains why breeding ligers should actually be banned.

What Is a Liger?

A liger is a hybrid animal resulting from the crossbreeding of a male lion (Panthera leo) with a female tiger (Panthera tigris). These animals combine physical traits of both parent species: They usually have sandy-colored fur with faint tiger stripes and can occasionally develop a mane. With body lengths exceeding 11.5 feet and weights up to 880 pounds, ligers are considered the largest big cats in the world—however, they exist only in captivity.

Zoo director Dorin Soimaru deliberately orchestrated this pairing to create a crowd-puller, as reported by outlets such as “Stern.” The idea: ligers are popular in zoos worldwide. In fact, Goliath already weighs more than other young animals his age and is expected to weigh around 880 pounds later. But behind the fascination with these gigantic hybrids lies an ethically and biologically problematic practice.

Would a Liger Occur in Nature?

The answer is clear: No, a natural occurrence is nearly impossible. Lions primarily live in Africa, while tigers are found only in Asia. Even in the few regions of India where their habitats overlap, differing social behaviors prevent mating. While lions live in prides, tigers are solitary. Only in captivity, where both species are kept together, is mating possible. It occurs either through deliberate breeding of ligers or due to lack of mating controls.

Why Breeding Ligers Is Problematic

1. Health Risks and Suffering

Ligers are often born via cesarean section because their enormous size causes complications in the womb. Many animals die shortly after birth or suffer lifelong health issues such as kidney failure, heart defects, neurological disorders, obesity, and joint problems.1

2. Infertility and Lack of Conservation Value

Male ligers are typically infertile. Even though female ligers can occasionally produce offspring with lions or tigers, resulting in further hybrids like li-ligers, these breeding programs are often conducted under the guise of conservation. However, hybrid animals have no conservation relevance. Breeding ligers neither contributes to the preservation of endangered species nor to genetic diversity. On the contrary, it can confuse the public and hinder proper handling of real species in conservation programs.

3. Unsuitable Behavior and Stress

Hybrids like the liger combine different behaviors from both parent species—with negative consequences. While tigers are solitary, lions prefer social structures. As a result, ligers often exhibit inconsistent social behavior, leading to stress, psychological disorders, and difficulties in care. This also affects interaction with mother animals, which can be overwhelmed by the behavior of the hybrids.

4. Commerce Instead of Animal Welfare

As seen in the case of Goliath, breeding ligers primarily serves commercial purposes. They are deliberately marketed as exotic attractions, without regard for their well-being or ecological benefit. Worldwide, animal welfare organizations and major zoo associations like EAZA and AZA reject targeted hybrid breeding for this reason.2

More on the topic

Conclusion: Breeding Ligers Comes at the Expense of Animal Welfare

Ligers like Goliath may be fascinating creatures, but their existence is based on human manipulation, not natural evolution. They are the result of a questionable breeding practice that serves neither animal welfare nor conservation. Their care requires enormous effort and poses high risks—for the animal itself as well as for proper zoological work.

The deliberate breeding of hybrids like the liger is an example of how profit interests can endanger the well-being of animals. Instead of admiring these animals, we should ask ourselves: Can we justify breeding animals solely for entertainment and sensation—even if they suffer for it?

About the Author

Dr. Saskia Schneider is a biologist with a Ph.D. During her studies at the Free University of Berlin, she focused primarily on zoology and animal behavior.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of PETBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@petbook.de.

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