Ligers and C-Section
The biggest rumor about ligers is that their mother (tigress) has to go through a c-section at the time of birth and normal birth is not possible for the ligers. This is absolutely wrong because there are many cases where the liger cubs are born without c-section. Even there are reports of liger cubs being accidentally born as in the case of Taiwan, Russia and Korea and these cubs were born without c-section. Yes there might have been some rare occasions when liger cubs would have been born as a result of c-section but that does not mean that this incident can be generalized for the ligers.
Critics also argue that Liger cubs are bigger in size than the tiger cubs. So they claim this bigger size as the key reason for the liger cubs to go for c-section. This is again absolutely wrong because liger cubs are almost equal in size to that of the tiger cubs. Tiger cubs are around 1.6 to 2.0 pounds while liger cubs are also around 1.6 to 2.0 pounds. This small variation within the weights of the liger cubs is marginal and it does not contribute for any sort of c-section within tigresses. Moreover; the size i.e., overall length, width of head and body etc. for liger cubs is also same as that of the tiger cubs. Therefore; whoever says that a liger cub has to go through c-section because of its bigger size is absolutely wrong.
However; liger cubs after their birth do experience a much faster growth than lion and tiger cubs and this is the key reason that after 4 years a liger reaches a maximum weight of around 1000 pounds. On the other hand; tigers and lions after 4 years gain a weight of around 400 to 500 pounds. So what basically critics did here is that they have associated the bigger size of the liger as also their birth size as well and tried to create a rumor about c-section. But current analysis proves that all such rumors are absolutely wrong.
Moreover, there is no report of tigress undergoing a c-section for giving birth to ligers. There are no reports of tigress deaths because of cross-breeding as well. Recently in Taiwan, 3 liger cubs were born, no c-section was done. Mother of ligers Hercules and its three siblings, Zeus, Vulcan and Sinbad, did not go under the c-section before giving them a birth. Shasta, one of the famous liger in the world for living 24 years, was born without c-section. There has never been c-section evidence of tigress for giving birth to liger cubs. It is just a false speculation and a very shameful as well.
