Buster the rare white Bengal tiger was abandoned by his mother at the West Midland Safari Park, and is being fostered by the park’s veterinary nurse and her four cats. Now eight weeks old and 17.5 pounds, Buster has learned to use the cat door to come and go. White Bengals are extinct in the wild. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23409298-details/Tiger+in+a+flap:+hand-reared+cub+enjoys+creature+comforts/article.do (with more adorable photos) -via Arbroath
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White Bengals are "extinct" everywhere because they're not a separate species at all. In the wild, they're a very rare mutation, but several zoos have breeding programs for these animals because they're flashy-looking and popular. Unfortunately, since nearly all white tigers in zoos are descended from a few individuals, inbreeding is rampant and birth defects and deformities are very common.
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Buster is the product of the zoo's breeding program.
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So, this is a 'true' white bengal and not the product of inbreeding as most of the other white tigers we've been shown are?
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Awwww! He looks like a slinky! :)
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