by Yann Martel Pi’s Fantasy Drifting Rudyard Kipling’s jungle book, the Bengal tiger stands tall in the human imagination. Its ferocious, solitary nature and powerful body have made it an object of fascination for millennia. Even more fascinating is its white counterpart, the white Bengal tiger. Unfortunately, considering how many white tigers are left in the world, it’s rare to see one.
Discover the wonder and majesty of the white tiger as we discover how many white tigers still exist on Earth!
What is a white tiger?
White tigers result from a genetic mutation called albinism in Bengal tigers. This recessive gene causes white fur. Unusual blue eyes also replace the typical golden or reddish brown. However, this is not albinism; the white tiger’s fur retains a certain amount of pigment. Both parents must carry the genes necessary to produce this offspring. Despite common misconceptions, the white tiger or white Bengal tiger is not a subspecies of Bengal, but just a variety.
White tigers retain their species’ signature black stripes. Although humans find this unique color desirable, it doesn’t do much for tigers in the wild. This reduces their ability to camouflage themselves, making it more difficult to catch prey.
Bengal tigers of both colors are powerful creatures. Their bodies can reach 10 feet in length and weigh nearly 600 pounds. However, they are not the biggest! Siberian tigers are even bigger, reaching lengths of up to 11 feet and weighing close to 800 pounds. White tigers usually live 10-15 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.
There are nine subspecies of tigers, including the Bengal tiger and the Siberian tiger. The other 4 species still found today are the South China tiger, the Malayan tiger, the Indochinese tiger and the Sumatran tiger. Sadly, 3 subspecies have become extinct: the Caspian tiger, the Bali tiger and the Javan tiger.
How many white tigers are left in the world?
There are only about 200 white tigers left in the world today。 They’re all kept in captivity at zoos, theme parks, or exotic pet collections. There are currently no known white tigers left in the wild. Tragically, a trophy hunter killed the last of them in 1958.
Including all subspecies, there are approximately 13,000 tigers alive today. There are still more than 5,000 living in the wild. About 3,500 of them are only Bengal tigers, mainly found in various parts of India. In addition, about 8,000 captive tigers survive. Their keepers breed them to maintain their numbers. The US alone has 5,000 tigers in zoos and theme parks. Sometimes, people even keep them as pets.
White tigers breed every 2-3 years. They can give birth to up to 5 pups. Bengal tigers are fierce, solitary animals. After living with their mother for 18 months, the adult cubs leave to take on lives of their own.
Where does the white tiger live?
White tigers have been found in the wild in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Today, they only exist in zoos and theme parks in countries like the US and India.
Preferred habitats for white tigers include tropical forests, jungles and mangrove swamps. They need enough vegetation to camouflage themselves, as well as access to abundant water.
White Tiger Diet and Predators
Like other Bengal tigers, white tigers are ferocious and efficient predators. As carnivores, they rely on the meat of other animals to survive. Their diet consists of deer, wild boar, cattle and goats. They are top predators and have no natural enemies other than humans.
Taking advantage of the dense forest cover, these tigers usually stalk their prey in near silence at night. Their keen hearing and vision allow them to navigate the dark with little effort. This puts their prey at a serious disadvantage.
In most cases, tigers do not intentionally hunt humans. They have an instinctive fear of human contact and usually run away. However, they may attack if they feel their territory, prey or young are threatened. Rare instances of tigers becoming habitual cannibals continue to spark fear.
That is, isolated attacks occurred due to human encroachment on tiger territory. As this has become more frequent, tiger attacks in India are on the rise.
Are white tigers endangered?
Unfortunately, the white tiger is on the endangered species list. As long as there are Bengal tigers carrying the recessive gene, their white counterparts are technically not extinct. However, as Bengal tiger numbers decline, natural white cubs are less and less likely. Since white tigers are not a subspecies but a genetic variation, their survival depends on that of the Bengal tiger.
The endangerment of the white tiger can be attributed to several reasons. Trophy hunting has traditionally been a major problem, as poachers seek out tigers for their fur, heads and other body parts. Retaliatory killings for human or livestock deaths also played a role. Tragically, deforestation leads to habitat loss, making the Bengal and White Bengal tigers more vulnerable to extinction.
Some people want to keep white tigers as exotic pets, further contributing to the extinction of these animals in the wild. The zoo also played a role, displaying white tigers for visitors to peruse.
captive white tiger
Since white tigers are now kept entirely in captivity, it is the responsibility of their breeders to ensure that Bengal tigers continue to produce pale offspring. This is difficult because white fur rarely occurs under normal conditions. To promote this type of offspring, zoo keepers manipulate the breeding process. This involves breeding only tigers that share a recessive gene.
Unfortunately, this gene is uncommon in zoos’ limited populations. Zoos face major problems with inbreeding with every tiger subspecies. Every white tiger in the United States can be traced back to a male white Bengal tiger, Mohan. The tiger was taken from the wild in central India as a cub in 1951 and was used to breed other white tigers until his death.
Inbreeding is widely believed to produce unhealthy offspring with a variety of problems. These may include spinal deformities, organ defects, and immune deficiencies, among others. Zoos are reluctant to stop inbreeding despite strong opposition from the conservation community. This is because their tigers bring money. Conservationists and groups such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) insist that the focus should be on helping tigers reproduce in the wild, not in captivity.
Though majestic, white Bengal tigers are so rare that their conservation, as well as orange ones, are worth the effort.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
