The White Tiger

“White Tiger – This rare and magnificent cat has been saved from extinction by rearing it successfully in capacity” This is what you get to read when on reaches the white tiger enclosure in the National Zoological Gardens, New Delhi.

The myth of the rare Bengal Tiger was an illusion meant to deceive the general public into thinking these cats were endangered and being preserved for future generations. The truth here is that they are not a separate sub – species of tigers, as they are promoted to be, but a result of severe genetic defects associating with the inbreeding necessary to cause the white coat.

The inbreeding results in many defects, early deaths, still births, which is a total antithesis of conservation.

Consider this – Only one in four tiger cubs from a white tiger bred to an orange one carrying the white gene are born white and 80% of those die from birth defects associated with the inbreeding necessary to cause a white coat, of those surviving, most of them have profound birth defects such as immune deficiency, scoliosis of spine (distorted spine), mental impairments and grossly crossed eyes that bulge out of their skull. Worse still are those who are born the “wrong colour” or golden. Mostly in such cases the cubs are either abandoned or “ put to sleep “. Only a small percentage of the surviving cubs are suitable for display.

According to some trainers, only one out of 30 white cats will perform consistently. The number of tigers produced and disposed off in order to fulfill the public’s desire of seeing white tigers on display is staggering.

And to think of it, even the most coveted zoological parks like the famous Nandanhanan (Orissa) and the National Zoological Gardens (New Delhi) are infamous for mortality rates as high as 58% and 76% respectively.

Acc. To Dr. Ron Tilson, Conservation director of the Minnesota Zoo and manager of the world renowned “Tiger Species Survival Plan”. The white tiger controversy among zoos is a small part ethics and a long part economics. They serve no conservation purpose. Owners of white tigers claim that they are popular exhibit animals and increase zoo attendance as well.

This is an unspoken issue that shames the very integrity of zoos. Their alleged conservation programs and their message to the visiting public, zoos are meant to serve as conservation ground for species in distress.

As we all know, tigers hunt by distress and not by speed. Once it has chosen its prey the tiger creeps towards it perfectly camouflaged by its surroundings. With mathematically precise movements, the advancing hind foot meeting exactly the spot covered by the forefoot. Moving close enough to make a kill, it springs forward at great speed, performing a series of impressive leaps, covering distances up to 13 feet in a bound. Tigers do not approach directly, but circles around the animal. The tigers are not much of runners but are primarily stealthy. I would like to draw everyone’s attention to the fact that in a tropical country like ours it is not possible for a white tiger to survive. In order to survive it is the basic necessity of an organism to feed to its basic requirements. How can a tiger do that if the prey runs away from the mere sight of it?

The only convincible and legitimate reason for exhibiting a white tiger would be for educational purposes to clearly and unequivocally illustrate to the public the process of natural selection and how, when a deleterious recessive genetic mutation randomly occurs that is disadvantageous for the survival of the animal, such as white colour in a tropical jungle environment, the animal does not survive to pass on that genetic mutation or that disadvantageous characteristic to its offspring.

This was the normal course of natural selection and evolution of the tiger until the framed Mohan, believed to be the father of all existing white tigers was captured by Maharajah Martand Singh. The chronology of the white Bengal tiger up until the death of Mohan is as follows:

1820: A white tiger was displayed at Exter Change.

1915: White tiger cub captured by Maharajah Gulab Singh of Reva. Upon its death it was gifted to King George 5 as a sign of India’s Loyalty to the crown.

25th May 1951: A forest laborer reported sighting a white tiger cub.

26th May 1951: The cub’s mother and two of its three siblings were shot and killed.

27th May 1951:Maharajah Martand Singh captured Mohan.

30th May 1951: The cub escapes and a large party goes out to recapture it.

26th Feb 1952: A normal coloured tigress called begum captured.

10th April 1955: Begum produced a litter of a male and two female cubs. They were christened Raja, Rani, Sukeshi and Mohini.

December 1957: Mohan is mated with Radha, his four year old daughter from the second litter with Begum.

20th October 1958: Radha produced an all – white litter of a male and three female cubs. They were christened Raja, Rani, Sukeshi and Mohini.

Sukeshi was kept for mating with Mohan and remained with him until he was withdrawn from breeding. Her son showed no interest in mating with her and after six years without success, she too was transferred to the National Zoological Park in New Delhi, where she died on 2nd Feb 1975.

May 1964: Raja and Rani were mated. Rani gave birth to white cubs, a male and a female. The female died and the male “ Tippu” lost his tail and was hand raised with great difficulty.

August 1965: Two white cubs born to Rani and both die due to neglect.

19th December 1965: Three white cubs born to Rani, they were left in her care for just over a month after which she lost interest and the cubs were hand raised.

Breeding of Rani continues until she produced a total of 20 cubs, all white.

19th December 1969: Mohan dies at an age of 19 years 7 months. All captive white tigers descend from Mohan.

At the moment, Swaraj and Kaveri are parents to all the tigers at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi.

Like us even tigers prefer choosing their own mates. They are usually in heat all year round, but tigers have been reported to show a lack of interest in mating during captivity and it is very rare that they might produce a new litter every year. Apart from this the period of gestation is approximately 105 days after which the tigress gives birth to a litter of 2 – 4 cubs. That means in zoos, where tigers mate hardly 2 times in a year, producing a litter of 6 – 8 cubs in all of which only two have a chance of survival. An average tiger consumes around 10 – 12 kg of meat in one sitting.

Acc. To statistics released in 2004, there are 1576 tigers left in the wild in 27 wildlife reserves of all 11 states in India and their population over the world have plunged from 100,ooo at the beginning of the 20th century to 5000 – 7000 today.

In the conservation scenario, tigers are no longer “burning bright” in the world’s most famous tiger preserves. Thus anyone involved in breeding or exhibiting white tigers is doing a great disservice to honest conservation and preservation efforts to save the five remaining and endangered sub – species barely clinging to survival in their diminishing natural habitats. The time, money and energy spent in rearing one white coloured tiger cub is almost twice the cost of rearing a normal coloured one because of the unsurity of its survival.

Therefore, exhibiting and breeding white tigers is the very antithesis of conservation, catering to the public’s desire to see genetic aberrations rather than educating the public how the unbelievable diversity of life has evolved on our planet throughout the past 50 million years and the crucial need for us to preserve our global eco – system if we desire to save any threatened or endangered species from extinction.

By : Swathi Soren
Kamla Nehru College, Delhi University