World welcomes its first liliger
Kiara with resident foster mother
A hybrid of a lion and liger (the offspring of a lion and a tiger) has been born at the Novosibirsk zoo, in Russia.
The "liliger" cub has been named Kiara and was born to an 8 year old female liger and a male African lion about a month ago. She has tiger stripes on her forehead, but in other respects resembles a lion cub.
She hasn't had the easiest start to life, however. Her mother stopped producing milk almost immediately after the birth and her cub has to be bottle-fed. She has also acquired an unusual nurse - the zoo's resident cat, Dasha, has adopted the cub as one of her own and according to the Head of the Cats' Section at the zoo, "plays with Kiara, keeps her warm and washes her like her own."
In the wild, lions and tigers do not mate - and Kiara is thought to be the first liliger in the world
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
