So, here I am, thinking about the fact that I've ignored my blog for days. I think my excuse of being ill is quite good enough, 'cause just the thought of writing something made my stuffed-up head hurt. Tonight I was trying to choose something to write about, seeing as how I feel like it now, and settled on a fact about tigers. Anyone I've ever brought this topic up to has not known this fact. So, here it is!
The only way to produce a white tiger is through inbreeding. Brother to sister, daughter to father, mother to son. The white tiger is a genetic aberration. Think a Siberian tiger is white? Think the white Bengal tiger is a species of tiger all on it's own? Horseshit. Myths used to make the public believe these are endangered species of tiger that need to be protected for future generations (so they can make more of them to make money off of). People don't just do this to tigers either, and it doesn't just effect the colour of their coat.
"White Tigers can ONLY exist in captivity by continual inbreeding, such as father to daughter, brother to sister, mother to son and so forth. The white lions and golden tabby tigers are merely a product of this practice of inbreeding for white coats as well and are not being bred for any sort of conservation program either. ALL white tigers are cross eyed, whether it shows or not, because the gene that causes the white coat always causes the optic nerve to be wired to the wrong side of the brain. That is why white tigers are such a favorite of the tiger-tamer-wannabes; they are far more dependant upon their masters." ~ Founder of Big Cat Rescue
The inbreeding that causes the much sought-after and prized white tiger also causes defects, early deaths and still-births. The tiger's are also not too bright, hence the preference for their use in entertainment. Zoos, private breeders, and circuses do not breed white tigers for conservation purposes, but for economic reasons. The white tiger brings with it more revenue than a regular tiger. They cannot be used for conservation purposes because of their mixed ancestry, having been hybridized with other subspecies. So, if you're asked to donate to any fund for saving white tigers... call bullshit. Because now you know white tigers cannot serve any conservation purpose, and the breeding of more white tigers will only produce little tigers with defects, who may die early, or never take their first breath at all. Breeding white tigers is not for the salvation of all tigers, it is for profit. In fact, the Tiger Species Survival Plan has condemned the breeding of white tigers.
Only 1 in 4 cubs from a white tiger bred to an orange tiger carrying the white gene will be white. If a private breeder is breeding only for a white tiger, what happens to the other 3 (orange)that are not wanted? Respectable establishments will not purchase the offspring of a white tiger in order to not promote the aberration. Furthermore, 80% of the cubs that do turn out white will die of birth defects, or have such pronounced birth defects as to make them no good for show. Cleft palates, eyes crossed so badly they bulge from the skull, mental impairments, scoliosis of the spine, etc. These defects eliminate their worth altogether. The number of tigers that must be bred and destroyed to fill the public's desire for white tigers is atrocious.
"Big Cat Rescue has never taken in a white tiger before because we did not want to enable people to dispose of their “defective” cats and cause so much more suffering and abuse by having an easy dumping ground for the cats who didn’t serve them. Even though Zabu is black and white, the decision of whether or not to rescue her was not. When Zabu and Cameron’s plight came to our attention we had to think long and hard about whether or not we would have a white tiger on our tour. We didn’t want to be perceived as using a white tiger to draw visitors.
Many times on our tours we tell guests about the fraud that has been promoted to the public about white tigers and talk about all of our golden tigers who ended up unwanted and abandoned at our door because they were the wrong color. Now we were considering turning away a white tiger because she was the wrong color. In her case the facility was being shut down and by rescuing her we were not enabling the owner to breed more and we were keeping a cat of prime breeding age from falling into the hands of people who would breed her to death." ~ Founder of Big Cat Rescue
So, now you know. Next time you go to a zoo who has white tigers and/or has a breeding program for white tigers... not much ethics involved there, just economics. Please do not ever donate to a fund for the breeding of white tigers. They are NOT an endangered subspecies of tiger, they are an inbred variety of subspecies. A large percentage are subject to birth defects and therefore destruction due to lack of 'worth', the rest are used for money because their slowness and mental impairments make them more agreeable to the trainer, and as such a real money-maker.
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