One look at Kenny and itβs clear why white tigers shouldnβt be bred.
Kenny was rescued in 2000 at around 2 years old. He was living in filth at a private breeder in Arkansas, but because of his obvious deformities he wasnβt pretty enough to sell and the breeder called Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge to get rid of him.
βThe gentleman that we rescued him from said he would constantly run his face into the wall,β Emily McCormack, animal curator for Turpentine Creek, told The Dodo. βBut it was clear that that wasnβt the situation.β
Rather, it was apparent that Kennyβs looks were the unsurprising result of the generations of inbreeding that go into creating white tigers.
With his short snout, broad face and obvious dental issues, most people wouldnβt immediately recognize Kenny as a tiger. Willie, an orange tiger who was rescued with him and was likely his brother, had completely crossed eyes.
While breeders, and the zoos and entertainers that use them, paint white tigers as an endangered species in need of conservation efforts, that story couldnβt be further from the truth, said Susan Bass, PR representative for the Florida sanctuary Big Cat Rescue (BCR).
βWhite tigers are not a species, theyβre not endangered, theyβre not in the wild,β Bass told The Dodo. βThere are so many misconceptions about white tigers.β
According to Bass, a white tiger hasnβt been seen in the wild since the 1950s, when a light cub was found with a family of normal orange tigers. The person who found him was intrigued by the natural color variation, so he stole the cub away from his mother and siblings.
Todayβs white tigers are all descendents of that original white tiger, she said, and are the result of countless generations of inbreeding needed to get the double recessive gene that gives tigers a white coat.
Theyβre not normally found,β Bass explained, noting that a white tiger likely couldnβt even survive in the wild because theyβd stick out too much. βIn order to get that [color], breeders have to breed tigers over and over again to get that gene to come forward.β
The result of that inbreeding is tigers like Kenny, whose parents were likely siblings. And heβs not alone; the population as a whole has been remarkably damaged by decades of inbreeding.
Bass said that virtually all white tigers have crossed eyes - even if you canβt see it, their optic nerves are crossed - and a host of other medical problems.
βThey donβt live as long [as other tigers],β she explained. βThey have kidney problems, they have spine issues.β
Many white tigers also have cleft palates, including one who lives at BCR. βOur white tiger Zabu has a missing upper lip and it looks like sheβs always smiling,β Bass said.
Because white tiger litters are usually so damaged, most of them, and the orange siblings theyβre born with, canβt be βusedβ by breeders. βUsually they have so many health problems, theyβre not pretty enough to be in a Las Vegas show,β Bass said. (White tigers are a staple attraction in Vegas.)
While Kennyβs deformities are more apparent than other white tigersβ, itβs unclear whether heβs truly exceptional - or whether he was just one of the lucky ones to escape.
βTo get that one perfect, pretty white cub, itβs one out of 30,β Bass explained. βWhat happens to the other 29 β¦ euthanized, abandoned β¦ who knows.β
Unfortunately, breeders and the people who buy white tigers continue to spread the myth that they are an endangered species and need conservation, or that itβs beneficial to breed them, which keeps the profitable industry going.
βThese are not a species, they are not endangered, they donβt need to be saved, they shouldnβt exist,β Bass said. β[Breeders and owners are] duping the public into thinking that they need conservation, and paying money to see them.β
But at least Kennyβs story had a better ending than most. While some media outlets have mistakenly reported that Kenny had Down syndrome, McCormack said the playful tiger appeared to be mentally normal.
Kennyβs still missed at Turpentine Creek. McCormack said that while Kennyβs clearly a poster boy for the problems with white tigers, she hopes he can teach a broader lesson as well.
βTigers in captivity, especially in the private industry, just arenβt genetically pure,β she said. βThe problem is privately owned exotics in captivity.β
Itβs best to stay away from zoos or other facilities that own white tigers as theyβre almost always disreputable - the American Zoological Association (AZA), the foremost zoo accreditation group in the country, has outright banned membersfrom breeding white tigers.
If youβd like to help rescued white tigers and other animals like them, you can make a donation to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue or Big Cat Rescue.
(Source: the dodo)
Want to make a difference? Send a message to the Downtown aquarium about THIS β¬οΈ this is a DISGRACE.
Want to know more? Read this: http://people.com/pets/white-tigers-at-houston-aquarium-havent-been-outside-in-12-years/
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