HOME | DD

Description
Ok, to 'nip this in the bud', it seems each time I post a photo of a white tiger I get at least one person that feels compelled to bring up that white tigers are a genetic mutation that is being propigated by man, which is true... but... mankind as a whole would have to reject white tigers and support normal tigers in equal measure in order for the popularity of white tigers to go away... which is something of a 'huge thing'. I myself would have personally preferred a standard Bengal Tiger but they did not have any of those at the show. OR they want to debate me on the cruelty that these cats are enduring being captive and being paraded around in a show... which is cruel, demening and nasty. From what I seen at this particular show I can tell you that there were no devices on stage to control the cats beyond a leash one trainer was holding. Both trainers on stage had many scars visible from the close handing of the cats and it appeared that they train the cats on the simple reward system of treats, respect and love. I cannot vouch for what happens behind the scenes but I can say that the cats are whole of body (claws and all) and the fur showed no signs of balding from chains or restraints that are left in place for long periods of time. So, you can save your breath, it has been brought up and pointed out. With all that said... let me also point out that I am just a hobbiest photog with a wife, children and a 9-5 job taking photos of the world around me... not a crusader out to bring justice to the world.

For those eagle eyes among you, you will notice that this is not the same tiger as the last one, the stripes are different. This one is a male from the same litter, a six month old I got to see at a Renaissance Festival. The bit of pink on his head is from the trainer rubbing his head after feeding him a fresh bloody piece of meat. The endangerd cat show is put on by Great Cats World Park from Oregon. greatcatsworldpark.com/cmsj/

I am sure I made a bit of an ass out of myself trying to get photos of the cats during the show, but hey... nobody said anything...

The white tiger is a recessive mutant gene of the Bengal tiger, which was reported in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, Bihar and especially from the former State of Rewa.

Compared to normal colored tigers without the white gene, white tigers tend to be somewhat bigger, both at birth and as fully grown adults. Kailash Sankhala, the director of the New Delhi Zoo in the 1960s, said "one of the functions of the white gene may have been to keep a size gene in the population, in case it's ever needed." Dark-striped white individuals are well-documented in the Bengal Tiger subspecies, also known as the Royal Bengal or Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or P. t. bengalensis), and may also have occurred in captive Siberian Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), as well as having been reported historically in several other subspecies. Currently, several hundred white tigers are in captivity worldwide, with about one hundred being found in India. Nevertheless, their population is on the increase.

The unusual white coloration of white tigers has made them popular in zoos and entertainment showcasing exotic animals. German-American magicians Siegfried & Roy became famous for breeding and training two white tigers for their performances, referring to them as "royal white tigers," the white tiger's association with the Maharaja of Rewa.

Martand Singh, the last Maharaja of Rewa, captured the first living white tiger observed in nature, during his 1950 visit to Govindgarh jungle at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India. With help from official veterinary experts, he attempted breeding the white tiger with colored female tigers. Though initial attempts failed, he did eventually succeed and created a second generation of white tigers. In time, this breeding population has been expanded around the world. (via Wikipedia)

Description
Ok, to 'nip this in the bud', it seems each time I post a photo of a white tiger I get at least one person that feels compelled to bring up that white tigers are a genetic mutation that is being propigated by man, which is true... but... mankind as a whole would have to reject white tigers and support normal tigers in equal measure in order for the popularity of white tigers to go away... which is something of a 'huge thing'. I myself would have personally preferred a standard Bengal Tiger but they did not have any of those at the show. OR they want to debate me on the cruelty that these cats are enduring being captive and being paraded around in a show... which is cruel, demening and nasty. From what I seen at this particular show I can tell you that there were no devices on stage to control the cats beyond a leash one trainer was holding. Both trainers on stage had many scars visible from the close handing of the cats and it appeared that they train the cats on the simple reward system of treats, respect and love. I cannot vouch for what happens behind the scenes but I can say that the cats are whole of body (claws and all) and the fur showed no signs of balding from chains or restraints that are left in place for long periods of time. So, you can save your breath, it has been brought up and pointed out. With all that said... let me also point out that I am just a hobbiest photog with a wife, children and a 9-5 job taking photos of the world around me... not a crusader out to bring justice to the world.

For those eagle eyes among you, you will notice that this is not the same tiger as the last one, the stripes are different. This one is a male from the same litter, a six month old I got to see at a Renaissance Festival. The bit of pink on his head is from the trainer rubbing his head after feeding him a fresh bloody piece of meat. The endangerd cat show is put on by Great Cats World Park from Oregon. greatcatsworldpark.com/cmsj/

I am sure I made a bit of an ass out of myself trying to get photos of the cats during the show, but hey... nobody said anything...

The white tiger is a recessive mutant gene of the Bengal tiger, which was reported in the wild from time to time in Assam, Bengal, Bihar and especially from the former State of Rewa.

Compared to normal colored tigers without the white gene, white tigers tend to be somewhat bigger, both at birth and as fully grown adults. Kailash Sankhala, the director of the New Delhi Zoo in the 1960s, said "one of the functions of the white gene may have been to keep a size gene in the population, in case it's ever needed." Dark-striped white individuals are well-documented in the Bengal Tiger subspecies, also known as the Royal Bengal or Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris or P. t. bengalensis), and may also have occurred in captive Siberian Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), as well as having been reported historically in several other subspecies. Currently, several hundred white tigers are in captivity worldwide, with about one hundred being found in India. Nevertheless, their population is on the increase.

The unusual white coloration of white tigers has made them popular in zoos and entertainment showcasing exotic animals. German-American magicians Siegfried & Roy became famous for breeding and training two white tigers for their performances, referring to them as "royal white tigers," the white tiger's association with the Maharaja of Rewa.

Martand Singh, the last Maharaja of Rewa, captured the first living white tiger observed in nature, during his 1950 visit to Govindgarh jungle at Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, India. With help from official veterinary experts, he attempted breeding the white tiger with colored female tigers. Though initial attempts failed, he did eventually succeed and created a second generation of white tigers. In time, this breeding population has been expanded around the world. (via Wikipedia)