The Bengal Tiger

The Bengal tiger is the most numerous tiger subspecies. Its populations have been estimated at 1,7061,909 in India, 440 in Bangladesh, 124 229 in Nepal and 6781 in Bhutan. Since 2010, it has been classified as an endangered species by the IUCN - wikipedia

TAXONOMY
KINGDOM PHYLUM CLASS ORDER FAMILY

ANIMALIA
SCIENTIFIC NAME

CHORDATA

MAMMALIA

CARNIVORA

FELIDAE

Panthera tigris ssp. tigris

SPECIES AUTHORITY COMMON NAME TAXONOMY NOTES

(Linnaeus, 1758) English Bengal tiger The Bengal Tiger probably arrived in the Indian subcontinent approximately 12,000 years ago. It occurs in India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh (Luo et al. 2004). Source: www.iucnredlist.org

THE WHITE TIGER

White Tiger (Panthera tigris) is a tiger with a genetic condition that nearly eliminates pigment in the normally orange fur although they still have dark stripes. This occurs when a tiger inherits two copies of the recessive gene for the paler coloration: pink nose, grey-mottled skin, ice-blue eyes, and white to cream-colored fur with black, grey, or chocolatecolored stripes

WHITE TIGERS ARE:

Neither albinos nor a special species. They differ from the normally colored tigers by having blue eyes, a pink nose, and creamy white fur with black stripes. If they were albinos they would have pink eyes and a lighter nose color. A tigers stripes are just like human fingerprints meaning that no two tigers have the same pattern of stripes. White tigers aren't necessarily born from other white tigers. White tigers get their color by a double recessive allele. ->

LEUCISM

A Bengal tiger with two normal alleles or one normal and one white allele is colored orange. Only a double dose of the mutant allele results in white tigers (www.cranes.org/whitetiger). In fact it is even normal to find normal colored cubs in a litter of white tigers (www.5tigers.org.com).

Normal allele

Normal Allele

Orange colored tiger

Normal allele White Allele

Orange colored Tiger

White Allele

White Tiger
White Allel

ENDANGERED SPECIES
White tigers are an endangered species (IUCN Redlist, 2009) and it is said that less than a dozen have been seen in India in about a hundred years. In fact no sightings have been reported since 1951. This may be caused by the fact that the Royal Bengal tiger population has dropped from 40,000 to 1,800 in the past ten years and as few as one in every 10,000 tigers is white.
Source: www.cranes.org/whitetiger

All About White Tiger

Life span White tigers in the wild live about 10 - 15 years while tigers in zoos usually survive 16 20 years Diet Tigers do not hunt in social group like lions solitary In wild eat pig, cattle, deer Eat as much as 40 pounds of meat at one time! After such a big meal, a tiger will not eat again for several days White Tiger possess 30 large teeth (2.5-3 inches)

Habitat & Range Tigers usually dwell in an area from about 10-30 square miles where there is enough prey, cover/shelter, and water

All About White Tiger

Caring For Young Prefer to stay aloof, except when caring for their young Keep young tiger for 2-3 years
Fascinating Facts about White Tiger

White Tiger in India The Kanha National Park Bandhavgarh National Park Ranthambore national Park Manas Wildlife Sanctuary

Good swimmer, poor climber Slow runner, stealthy enough to catch any prey in their sight Hunt mostly at night Born to Bengal Tiger that carries an unusual gene needed for white coloring

WHY?? WHY??
Some of the tigers' difficulties have resulted from: 1.LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT - further loss of their territories will lead to an even bigger drop in their numbers. 2.HUNTERS - Poachers want tiger parts to sell for traditional medicinal substances used in some cultures, and also have found a good market for their skins. 3.LAW ENFORCEMENT - Laws to help tigers exist, but they are difficult to enforce when funds aren't available to pay for adequate security forces. 4.GENETIC INBREEDING - has resulted in high mortality rates and severe disabilities. There are many organizations to donate money to, but now all we need is to get everyone interested in helping this beautiful species that is greatly decreasing

Source: www.tigertail.com

CONSERVATION
There has been a drastic reduction in the range of the tiger during the 20th century, mainly because of the intense hunting pressure from humans. At one time the tiger was found in Southeast India, Russia, China, and Southeast Asia, but at least three out of eight subspecies of tigers have become extinct in recent years The Indian government has made an attempt to conserve remaining tigers. Project Tiger was established in the early 1980's, using 830 square kilometers of the Bandipur Forest in southern India for protection of tigers. Constantly handicapped by lack of funds, the project has little to show for its efforts. Park officials say Bandipur has 70 tigers now, but many conservationists think the total is less.

Wildlife Organization
Bandhavgarh Tiger Trust The Corbett Foundation Project Tiger Ranthambhore Foundation The Tiger Foundation TRAFFIC India The Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Institute of India Wildlife Protection Society of India WWF World Wide Fund

White Tiger Conservation Program

THE WHITE TIGER DISCOVERY PROGRAM AT NAVY PIER, CHICAGO

A special designed exhibit and conservation education program whose goal is to promote and entice people to the many conservation issues involving the last five remaining species of tigers in the wild.

White Tiger Conservation Program

THE ROYAL WHITE TIGER PROGRAM

The Royal White Tiger is one of the most valuable conservation tools that zoos and theme park have in their education arsenal on the visitor level today.

INBREEDING

BIRTH DEFECT DUE TO INBREEDING

mental problems like depression and unpredictable behavior

retinal degeneration

scoliosis of the spine

immune
dficiences

Birth-defects such as:

cross-eyes

kidney abnormalities

deafness
clubbed feet
hip or leg deformities

BIRTH DEFECT DUE TO INBREEDING

A CONSERVATION OR A LIE?

There can be no conservation of species without conservation of habitats, ..and there can be no conservation of habitats without conservation of entire ecosystems; .. therefore, we are accountable for how our actions affect those ecosystems, in every choice that we make.

Thats AllThank You