White Tigers- What They Have To Suffer

Tigers are really cool creatures- especially white tigers.

Unfortunately, there's more negative sides than positive sides of these wondrous cats.

Despite their beauty, there's something a lot of us don't quite understand.

Let's do some myth busting here.

1. White Tigers are just Siberian Tigers with a very rare color of fur.

This myth is a foolish story. White tigers get their fur through a genetic mutation that causes a condition called leucism. Leucistic animals are similar to albino animals, in that the pigment in their bodies did not fill in where it should have. Interestingly, leucism in tigers usually occurs among Bengal tigers and not among Siberian tigers.

2. White Tigers inhabit the wildernesses- born and bred.

Again, this myth is inncorrect. There is NO place in the world where white tigers naturally inhabit. In fact, for a tiger, being white in the wild is a distinct disadvantage. Without the typical orange and black pattern to provide proper camouflage, a tiger cannot depend on a surprise attack on its prey. That makes it extremely difficult to eat. The black and orange coloring is crucial to a tiger's survival.

For this reason, no legitimate association or organization has any plans to release white tigers into the wild. Some people think that releasing them is acceptable, simply because so many of us find the white tigers beautiful. But we must understand the truthful ways of the white tiger.

The terribly sad thing about these tigers is that they were NOT born and bred in the wild, but in captivity, which means they STAY in captivity for the rest of their lives. They are purposely inbred in captivity to meet the demand of paying public. The kind of severe inbreeding that is required to produce the mutation of a white coat also causes a number of defects, such as:

-Cross-eyed eyes, even though they might not appear to be cross-eyed.
-The optic nerve is wired on the wrong side of the brain.
-They are born with awkward teeth that go in all different directions.
-They suffer from club feet.
-They suffer from cleft palates.
-They suffer from spinal deformities.
-And lastly they suffer from defective organs.

These amazing felines are suffering from so much already, but that's not the end of it. Each year white tiger cubs are sold for thousands of dollars. Our fascination with white tigers is a poor reason to continue inbreeding them.

I hope that suited you for the night. Pink has my permission to post this on her Animal Rights Society blog.

I leave you with a picture that sums up all I have said- er, typed.