At Shambala Preserve, not far from Hollywood, Patrick the liger looks ready for his close-up. The preserve, run by The Birds star Tippi Hedren, bills itself as "a haven for endangered exotic big cats."

Though few ligers exist, they may not exactly be endangered, since they are not thought to exist in the wild. It's a matter of geography and genetics: Lions generally live in Africa, tigers in Asia. Plus, interspecies breeding tends to result in "diminished fitness of the offspring," according to Ronald Tilson, director of conservation at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley.

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