The ONLY way to produce a tiger or lion with a white coat is through inbreeding brother to sister or father to daughter; generation after generation after generation. The kind of severe inbreeding that is required to produce the mutation of a white coat also causes a number of other defects in these big cats.
In June 2011 the board of directors for the American Zoological Association (AZA) formalized their 2008 ban on the breeding of white tigers, white lions or king cheetahs by their member zoos. Their report said, “Breeding practices that increase the physical expression of single rare alleles (i.e., rare genetic traits) through intentional inbreeding, for example intentional breeding to achieve rare color-morphs such as white tigers, deer, and alligators, has been clearly linked with various abnormal, debilitating, and, at times, lethal, external and internal conditions and characteristics, which are outlined in this paper.” This change in policy came more than 12 years after Big Cat Rescue first released Dr. Laughlin’s expose below.
The same gene that causes the white coat causes the optic nerve to be wired to the wrong side of the brain, thus all white tigers are cross eyed, even if their eyes look normal. They also often suffer from club feet, cleft palates, spinal deformities and defective organs.
The white coat is a double recessive gene so most of the cubs born through this inbreeding have normal coloring but they too suffer the same defects and are referred to in the trade as “throw away tigers.” As such, they are often killed at birth because only the white tigers are the big money makers. And because none of these cats are purebred (they are all crosses between Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers), they serve no conservation purpose.
The American Zoological Association (AZA) recognizes that these cats should not be bred and admonishes AZA accredited zoos not to breed any more of them. The leader of the tiger Species Survival Plan states openly that the only reason people breed white tigers is because people will pay to see white tigers.
You can end the misery by just Saying NO to any place that breeds or exploits white tigers.
The big cat rescue needs to raise tens of thousands to help white tiger Snow Magic receive surgery to amputate one of his back legs. Snow Magic suffered a spinal aneurism and has since lost mobility in that leg. Without surgery, which costs about $10,000, he will have to be euthanized.
Serenity Springs also wants to build a special recovery enclosure for Snow Magic and other animals who will need it in the future. That will cost another $15,000.
The 10-year-old tiger came to Serenity Springs about three years ago, and has needed special care most of his stay. Despite that, Snow Magic’s not at a loss for personality; he’s described as being “talkative” to visitors and enjoys swimming in his pool.
Serenity Springs also points out that he’s one of just 17 snow tigers left in the world.
http://www.csindy.com/IndyBlog/archives/2011/10/21/saving-snow-magic
This would be a good time to point out that the only way to produce a white lion or white tiger is through severe inbreeding which brings with it many other horrific birth defects. To say that this cat is “one of just 17 snow tigers” is misleading because 1) there is no such animal as a snow tiger (it is just what the breeders call the stripe less tigers they produce through inbreeding and 2) they are all cross bred and not a pure bred sub species. They do not exist in the wild and are only produced by disreputable breeders and dealers. The owner of Serenity Springs was convicted of fraud, so while this may be a true need for the tiger, it is questionable as to if any donations would actually benefit the tiger.
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