The existence of white Siberian tigers has not been scientifically proved, despite occasional unsubstantiated reports of sightings of white tigers in the regions where wild Siberian tigers live. Some believe that that the gene for white coating does not exist in the Siberian tiger population as no white Siberian tigers have been born in captivity despite the fact that the Siberian tiger has been extensively bred during the last few decades.
The famous white Siberian tigers found in captivity are actually not pure Siberian tigers. They are instead the result of Siberian tigers breeding with Bengal tigers. The gene for white coating is quite common among Bengal tigers, but the natural birth of a white Bengal tiger is still a very rare occasion in the wild, where white tigers are not bred selectively. A white tiger is caused by the occurrence of a double recessive allele in the genome. Estimations show that around one in 10,000 wild tiger births will result in a white tiger.
The white tiger is not considered a tiger subspecies, but rather a mutant variant of the existing tiger subspecies. If a pure white Siberian tiger were to be born, it would therefore not be selectively bred within the tiger conservation programs. It would, however, probably still be selectively bred outside the program in an effort to create more white Siberian tigers. Due to the popularity of white tigers, they are used to attract visitors to zoos.
For more info, go to en.wikipedia.com
For more info, go to en.wikipedia.com
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