BBC News, 23
May 2013
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Stories
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| Records of sightings in the wild on the Indian sub-continent date back to the 1500s |
The
researchers have traced the cause to a single change in a gene known to drive
pigmentation in a host of animals, including humans.
White
tigers are a rare variant of the customary orange Bengal sub-species.
Today, they
are found exclusively in captive programmes where the limited numbers are
interbred to maintain the distinctive fur colour.
Shu-Jin Luo
of Peking University and colleagues report in the journal Cell Biology how they
investigated the genetics of a family of tigers living in Chimelong Safari Park
in Panyu, Guangzhou Province.
This ambush
of tigers included both white and orange individuals.
The study
zeroed in on the pigment gene called SLC45A2, which has long been associated
with the light colouration seen in some human populations, and in a range of
other animals including horses, chickens, and fish.
The team
identified a small alteration in the white-tiger version of SLC45A2 that
appears to inhibit the production of red and yellow pigments. This change has
no effect on the generation of black pigment - explaining why the whites still
have their characteristic dark stripes.
A number of
the white tigers found in zoos have health issues, such as eyesight problems
and some deformities.
However,
Luo and colleagues say these deficiencies are a consequence of inbreeding by
humans and that the white coats are in no way indicative of a more general
weakness in the Bengal variant.
Establishing
this fact means that re-introducing them to the wild under a carefully managed
conservation programme might be worth considering.
"The
last known free-ranging white tiger was shot in 1958, before which sporadic
sightings were made in India," the researchers write.
"Reasons
for the extinction of wild white tigers were likely the same as those
accounting for the dramatic decline in wild tigers in general: uncontrolled
trophy hunting, habitat loss, and habitat fragmentation.
"However,
the fact that many white tigers captured or shot in the wild were mature adults
suggests that a white tiger in the wild is able to survive without its fitness being substantially
compromised."
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“.. Animals in the wild will instinctively know not to overpopulate and those that are carnivorous will turn to the plant kingdom for sustenance. The albinos being born in several animal species have both spiritual and transitional significance. You associate white with peace, and these rarities that are appearing are symbolic of the coming changes in animal nature that will end the predator-prey food chain and restore the peaceable relationship that once existed among all species, including humankind. The instances of unlikely cross-species friendships and even nurturing of the young from one species by mothers of another are more indications of Earth’s return to her original paradise self. Still, an extremely important factor in this is the inspiration in many souls to be advocates for the animal kingdom and alleviate their manmade plight. …”
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| Rare encounter: Whale watchers off the Australian east coast were lucky enough to see Migaloo, the famous albino humpback whale |
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