By far the largest and most unusual cat at the Shambala Preserve, Patrick is a liger: the hybrid offspring of a lion father and a tiger mother. Weighing in at an estimated 650 pounds, his ruddy coat shows faint stripes and he also has a modest mane. He "fuffs" like a tiger and roars like a lion, although without adding the deep grunts at the end that most lions do. Patrick was born in the summer of 1990 and formerly resided at Deer Path Animal Haven, a roadside zoo in Illinois. Conditions for the animals at the park were deteriorating, and eventually their license was revoked and it was closed. Their animals were placed at other facilities; Patrick and Cujo, a Bengal tiger whom we renamed Jiang, came to Shambala on May 14, 1998. When Patrick was examined, it was determined that his cage at the zoo had been so small that the muscles in his hindquarters and back legs were seriously losing muscle tone. His compound here at Shambala allows him plenty of room for exercise; and a stream runs through it so his tiger half can play in the water or his lion half can stay out of it, whichever he chooses.

All of us at Shambala would like to join Patrick in thanking you for your kind and generous support.

Would you like to "adopt" Patrick, or one of our other "Wild Ones?"
Check out Shambala's exciting "Adopt-a-Wild One" program!