Inbred ‘Killer Kimbo’ beast that half of UK’s XL Bully dogs are descended from

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At least half of the UK's XL Bully dogs can trace their heritage back to just one inbred beast called "Killer Kimbo", researchers reckon.

According to The Telegraph, Los Angeles-based Kimbo has legendary status within the XL Bully breeding community and is the product of generations of inbred fighting dogs. His parents are themselves siblings.

Kimbo has therefore passed on an extremely narrow set of genes, meaning generations of XL Bullies could suffer genetic diseases or become unstable. He is thought to have produced hundreds of puppies.

READ MORE: Most horrifying dog attacks – from 'faces torn off' to 'family pets turning evil'

Kimbo's descendants have reportedly been responsible for a number of dog attacks. Campaign group BullyWatch say there have been at least 10 incidents worldwide involving Kimbo's relatives.

The dog that killed Wrexham lorry driver Keven Jones, 65, last year was related to Kimbo both maternally and paternally, according to The Telegraph.

The publication also reported that the deaths of four-year-old Mia Derouen in Louisiana in 2014 and an 82-year-old woman in Oklahoma in 2017 are believed to have been caused by dogs related to Kimbo.

Gloria Zsigmond, a UK-based scientist with BullyWatch, used family trees uploaded by breeders to trace Kimbo's violent lineage in the UK. From a sample of 50 stud dogs advertised online, she found 32 were related to the dog.

Kimbo's offspring – with names such as Unstoppable Juggernaut, the Joker and Frank Sinatra – are often referenced in online adverts for XL Bullies.

"Kimbo bled into all those bloodlines because he was early on and he was so dominant in breeding. There are some good bloodlines where Kimbo isn’t there, but there are many where he is," Zsigmond said.

"Kimbo’s offspring became very, very popular and they’re still so popular in the UK to this day."

Colleen Lynn, founder of non-profit group DogsBite, said: "[Kimbo] is a real notorious one. If you look at the pedigrees of the American Bullies that have killed in the US, that dog is in there."

American Bullies were created in the 1990s by breeding two dogs that are banned in the UK – the American Staffordshire terrier and American pit bull terrier.

After they became popular, breeders worked to produce different sizes – and thus came the XL Bully. XL Bullies first reached the UK in 2015.

The breed is now responsible for the majority of dog attacks that occur here. Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said she is considering banning them.

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