Patrick was created the same way every liger is: A male lion was mated with a female tiger. (When a female lion is mated with a male tiger, the result is a tiglon, or tigon.)

Since tigers and lions do not likely interbreed in the wild, some critics find the breeding of ligers unethical. At accredited zoos "keeping the two species separate has always been standard procedure," according to Jane Ballentine, a spokesperson for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Shambala Preserve, where Patrick lives, did not breed him but rather adopted him when federal authorities shut down his former home, a roadside zoo in Illinois.

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