Do You Think its Wrong for Different Kinds of Big Cat to Interbreed?

Question

ive been asking this question to everyone i know as of late.

last night i got in an argument with my dad over whether it is wrong or right for lions and tigers to create ligers and tigons,he didnt even know such a thing existed,and he said theres no control over it so therefore,its none of our concern.

but since he is such a racist i asked him if the same applied for human races and we got in an argument(because he brings up c**p that has nothing to do with my argument) and he thinks that its wrong for human races(black white asian) to blend.

but back to the big cats,ive asked a few other people if they felt the interbreeding between lions tigers leopards pumas etc, was wrong,and i personally seem to be the only one who thinks it is ok and natural,maybe im just not a good environmentalist,or a race mixer.

anyhow,i wanna know everyone elses thoughts on the subject

Answer 1

An extremely simple (Not always accurate but good for generalizing) definition of species is an organism that is capable of mating with a fellow organism and producing fertile offspring. All male ligers are sterile, therefore it is not really a species, but a hybrid which is different. Secondly, race and species are not the same thing. Race is a cultural classification which varies in definition from group to group. There is no such thing as a black race or Asian race genetically. However, this concept does exist in our everyday speech and understanding and is often based on different people's interpretation of personal appearance. Another species of human would be Homo erectus not 'black' or 'asian'. Concerning the ethics of interbreeding, sexual selection etc. if the lions and tigers feel like mating, they will. It is as simple as that.

Answer 2

The big cats are different species.  They can offspring together, but this is rare, and often the offspring are sterile.  I don't see anything wrong with it, however.  People use mules, which are a result of breeding between a horse and a donkey.

Your comparison to people of different races is not accurate.  Blacks and Whites are not different species.  It would make more sense to compare this to a golden retriever and a labrador retriever breeding; they are the same species but different colors.  The offspring will be the same species and fertile.  Nothing to object to there.

Answer 3

It never says in the bible that interracial mixing s a sin. It warned the israelites not to marry outsiders because of their different beliefs, not becaus eof their race. If they converted, then it would be safe. You see, this was misinterpreted by semi-litterate religious leaders for the past five hundred years.

Answer 4

Typically speaking, I'm against breeding lions and tigers together.  My reasons, however, are related to captive care ethics rather than issues of race or "purity".  

While lions and tigers are both genetically and morphologically similar enough to hybridize, they are separate species (not separate races).  Hybrids between them are frequently infertile (though not always), malformed, or plainly nonviable.  Often they are at higher risk for major health issues, including blindness, arthritis, and infectious disease (hybrids tend to be immunosuppressed).

Now, were this occurring naturally in the wild, I would dismiss it as an unfortunate situation for the individual animal (not unlike being an albino).  However, lions and tigers do not share the same geographic areas.  While it is possible that in rare instances the range of individual lions and tigers might overlap, it is highly unlikely they'd mate.  Instead, most Ligers and Tions are produced in captivity.  While some of the earlier cases were accidental, modern Ligers and Tions are bred intentionally for show.  This is in part due to the fascination we have with hybrids, and in part to the abnormal size of these animals (hybrid vigor makes HUGE cats).  

While this can be amusing, it's important to examine the ethics of breeding animals with a strong tendency towards severe malformation, shortened lifespan, and increased health risks, all for our own amusement (this should be considered in the case of white tigers as well).  I'm of the opinion that doing so is unethical, as the only benefit to doing so is financial.

Regarding mixing human races, I'm all for it.  It's a purely phenotypical issue - skin pigmentation.  There are no known common deformities or abnormalities when races intermix.