Ligers & Big Cats Conservation

Ligers are playing the substantial role for the conservation of the big cats not only in the wild but also within the captivity. Even though ligers can't be released within the wild (habitat loss of big cats) yet still these hybrid big cats have a lot to offer for the conservation of the big cats in a rather indirect way. Some people and animal rights organization do question about their impact on the big cat conservation and strongly deny such relation. They even question the existence of the ligers in the first place. On the other hand; the proponents of the ligers strongly associate the linkage in between the conservation of the big cats and the existence of the ligers.

The existence of the ligers does have a reasonable linkage with the conservation of the big cats. This linkage helps the big cat conservation not only in the wild but also within the captivity.

However; we did go through some reputable animal facilities which had ligers and found a reasonable linkage in between the ligers and the conservation of the big cat species. This article is all about exploring and analyzing the linkage in between the existence of the ligers and the conservation of the big cats and how the ligers have significantly contributed for the conservation of the big cats through various means? Ligers significantly contribute towards education & Awareness, funding of big cats, species variation, immunity transformation and decoding the sterility etc.

First of all, the ligers act as the brand ambassadors for the conservation of the big cat species. They not only create awareness and knowledge about themselves but also about many other big cats. People seem to be captivated by something which is rather rare and they get fully focused about it. The same factor seems to be true regarding the ligers, as when the whole cause is explained to the people through liger, the overall process contributes towards the greater conservation of the big cats.

Ligers are the brand ambassadors for the big cat species in the wild and they not only create awareness about these species but also generate an indirect way of funding as well.

Many big cat experts such as Dr. Bhagavan Antle believe that the role of the ligers is to create awareness about the big cat species and to keep the interest alive. His organization "The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species" is globally playing a big role for the conservation of the big cats and other animals in the wild. Ligers have definitely played an indirect role to generate awareness and even an indirect way of funding for the whole process.

The Institute of Greater Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) believes that ligers are one of the true brand ambassadors for the big cat species and they play a big role in educating people about the conservation of the big cat species.

On the other hand; still some people think that the ligers are just the sterile hybrids and consider them as the dead-end for the lions and the tigers. This is absolutely wrong. Ligers (Female Ligers) are fertile and they are in no way a dead-end for the big cat species such as the lions and the tigers. Onwards; the ligers are capable of producing two magnificent big cats that are called the Li-Ligers and the Ti-Ligers.

Ligers are the not the dead-end for the big cat species such as the lions and the tigers. Ligers create an endless cycle of generations with oodles of possibilities that contribute further towards the evolution of the species and the conservation of the big cats.

Further onwards; the Li-Ligers and Ti-Ligers are capable of producing Li3-Ligers and Ti3-Ligers which are also fertile and are capable of producing more hybrid offspring. This also means that even such a lion or a tiger is possible to create which may carry essential genes of lions and tigers. This endless cycle of liger generations creates unlimited numbers of possibilities for education, research and evolution within the big cats while simultaneously contributing towards the conservation of the big cats.

The existence of the ligers and many other hybrid big cats such as the tigons, jaglions and pumapards etc. may also act as the panacea and elixir for the species in trouble through the process of hybridization. This is one of the promising new developments within the context of ligers and the big cats' conservation. Scientists and researchers have so far found at least 13000 common genes within all big cats (Journal of Science Advances) which strongly reflects that the present day big cats have emerged from the common ancestors millions of years ago.

The hybridization may also help in future to act as the panacea for the species in trouble. This way the strongest genes of ligers offering higher immunity may possibly be transferred among lions and tigers to save them in future.

This also means that hybridization was the way of nature millions of years ago. This also increases the possibility that the genes transformation from one species to another species is possible and if any of the species are facing shortcomings in the form of diseases, the hybridization might be the possible solution in this regard as well. Therefore; the strong genes of ligers in future may be transferred to the lions and the tigers to boost their immunity to the diseases.

According to some researchers, the hybridization may also help to resolve mystery surrounding the sterility. They have based their assumption after observing some hybrids such as the ligers, tigons, prizzly bears and the red wolves being the fertile while others such as mules being the sterile. And yet still some mules give births too! Why male ligers haven't reproduced thus far?

Hybridization to produce fertile offspring such as ligers may also help the scientists to possibly resolve the mystery surrounding the sterility within the hybrids.

What the researchers have established so far is the difference and the equivalence of chromosomes within the parents decides the sterility or the fertility as the key factor among other factors. However; what they don't know is how to fix the sterility within the hybrid animals? Therefore; the presence of the hybrids and scientific research on them may possibly help the researchers to decode the sterility within the hybridization. Decoding the sterility definitely means conservation of the big cat species.

Lastly; the private facilities having ligers in captivity may also make the key contribution for the conservation of the big cats within the wild. Private captivity seems to be the future of the big cat conservation because it not only preserve the species as the backup but also provides all the financial support for the animals in the wild.

Private facilities having ligers are the future of the big cats as they not only ensure the funding of the wildlife but also the backup of the wildlife species as well. Ligers and other hybrid animals do boost the effectiveness of the private captivities.

Furthermore; the wild is very limited these days and because of the habitat loss; only limited numbers of big cats can be filled within the wild territories. If the presence of the ligers within the private facilities boosts the inflow of the visitors along with the revenues, then ligers have definitely become one of the core sources of big cat conservation.