The Southam PANTIG - (Leopard x Tigress) - Alleged
This is Tigimouse the Pantig, born in Southam in the Winter of 1977. The photo here is credited to John Doidge and was featured in an article in the Sun newspaper on the 7th January 1978.
The correct name for a Pantig is either a Leoger (Leopard x Tigress) or a Tigard (Tiger x Leopardess). Tigimouse is in fact a Leoger. The name Pantig was coigned due to the fact that many people refer to black leopards as panthers (Tigimouse father was a melanistic leopard)
The one-of-a-kind 'Pantig' was born in or around Southam Zoo and ended up living there. The alleged parents were a black leopard and a tigress, and it was fostered by the zoos family pet Dachshund, Dinah.
Why does the title state 'Alleged' ?
According to reports the Pantig was reared to adulthood and then shipped to an American Zoo. One report states it was of a leopard-like body with a tiger's head, another report states that it was similar to the observation of wild leopardxtiger hybrids made by the zoologist F.C Hicks, a tiger like body with a leopards head.
The photo could easily be a tiger cub. The fact that no other photos exist, not even in America (where an hybrid like this would surely get a lot of attention) seems odd. Also the American Zoo was never named. It appears that reports claim it lived to adulthood, but yet the description is extremely varied. Even interviews with the original owners are very monotonous, with little variance to the small amount of information given here.
We believe that it was a hoax, possibly a rouse to gain more visitors? Or a simple mistake that was quickly forgotten. Either way one thing is clear, that the 'Pantig' was never documented again after this newspaper entry.
