How many of you have ever seen the Rare White Bengal Tiger? Universally ccepted to be a rare species, the ‘Big Cat Rescue’ website claim the Bengal tiger as a myth and an illusion created. But why? “It is a small part ethics and a large part economics”, as Dr. Ron Tilson, Conservation Director of the Minnesota Zoo and manager of the world renowned Tiger Species Survival Plan claimed. According to the website, the illusion is created “to deceive the public into thinking that these cats were endangered and being preserved for future generations”.
“White tigers are an aberration artificially bred and proliferated by some zoos, private breeders and a few circuses who do so for economic rather than conservation reasons,” Dr. Tilson commented. All these tigers are the offspring of an original Siberian/Bengal cross breeding.
When a white tiger is bred to an orange tiger carrying the white gene, only 1 in 4 tiger cubs are born white. But again, 80% of those die from birth defects — linked to inbreeding, which is necessary to cause a white coat.
Of the white tigers surviving, most have profound birth defects, such as — immune deficiency, scoliosis of the spine (distorted spine), cleft palates, mental impairments and grotesquely crossed eyes bulging from their skull. And that is why again only a small percentage is suitable for display.
Due to these birth defects the white tigers often die an early death. This white tiger, the pictures of which follows is not living on Easy Street! His 4 photos are to illustrate the facial deformities that typically accompany the white gene.
You never see these “throw-away” cats on display in zoos. Be aware! And help save them from abuse involved in producing them.
Via: Big Cat Rescue