White Bengal Tiger
Some Interesting Facts about the White Bengal Tiger
Of the five remaining tiger subspecies in the world, few can dispute that the most beautiful and remarkable is the white Bengal Tiger. Unfortunately, this cat is the most endangered of all tigers, and only by learning some interesting facts about this magnificent creature are we able to help it to survive.
The Bengal tiger is the most common cat of the eight subspecies, but the white Bengal tiger of the family numbers a mere 200 in the world. The aberrant white coloring does not make the white Bengal tiger an albino, as many believe. As an albino, the cat would have no stripes, colored noses or paws, nor would it have the mellow amber or green eyes that the white cats possess. Continuing the strain requires inbreeding, which also has the reverse effect of weakening the breed with potentially deadly health issues that threaten the cat’s very survival. Many zoos have interbred their tigers to further add to the white Bengal tiger count in response to the overwhelming popularity of the animals by the zoo patrons and become the center of controversy as result.
The first report of the existence of a white Bengal tiger was between 1556 and 1605 AD, with its roots firmly imbedded in the history of India. These first known members of the white tiger family were the result of a deviant gene, and it is believe by some that only approximately 18 of the truly natural white cats exist, with the remainder the product of avarice inbreeding. The last documented capture of a true white was in 1951, when a Maharaja kept a cub captive for the purpose of breeding it and populating the species.
The cat has been revered and sought out by many who desire its beautiful fur and, like all tigers, for their body parts which are used in traditional Chinese medicines. The white Bengal tiger has also been saddled with the unfortunate myth in India that, should anyone set their eyes upon a white Bengal in the wild the human would surely die. To this end, they are hunted in order to “save” humans from this plight. These reasons, along with diseases and maladies the weakened breed encounters, place the white Bengal tiger on the endangered species list.
Some contest the very fact that the white Bengal tiger is an endangered animal, citing research that the whites of today’s species are in existence only from human design and not by natural reproduction. The cat truly does exist, by whatever means, and is deserving of survival the same as their colored counterparts. Hopefully, with more people aware that the white Bengal tiger is simply an animal fighting for survival and not an omen of death or a cure for a human ailment it will endure for the next generation to admire.