Fighting For Survival Of The Majestic White Bengal Tiger

By Amy Bowles. Amy, 10, goes to the Ecole de Brigueuil, in France. Please read her article and leave your thoughts and comments below.

So many animals are threatened with extinction. Why do we allow this to happen, when we could, if we chose to, stop it?

Why I like tigers

I just adore tigers! They are the most beautiful, majestic creatures. Strong, quiet, powerful, yet loving and caring towards their young. Something I have in common with them is their love of food! THEY ARE SOOOOOOO CUTE! I mean, all tigers are cute, but WHITE TIGERS ARE SU-PERRRRRRRRR CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! With their gorgeous blue eyes and dense white fur.

Fascinating Tiger Facts

It may surprise you that a white tiger is not an albino. It actually carries a rare gene passed down from both its mother and father. The only pure species of white tiger in the world is the White Bengal Tiger from central India.

Mother tigers care for their young really well. Despite being normally solitary creatures who live alone, they make an exception for raising cubs. A mother will stay with her offspring for the first two to three years, until they are mature enough to look after themselves.

All tigers love water and are excellent swimmers, but when it comes to climbing trees, they’re not so great! They rarely climb, as they are simply too heavy.

Compared to other big cats, tigers are quite slow. They don’t catch their prey by chasing it but by stalking it, then pouncing at the last minute, just like your pet cat would at home.  Their preferred time to hunt is around dawn or dusk, or during the night.

In the wild, white tigers normally live around 10 to 15  years. But those kept in captivity, such as in zoos, can live between 16 to 20 years. Their lifespan is shorter than the orange tiger, as they tend to suffer from a weak immune system.

Unlike lions, tigers don’t hunt in social groups in the wild. They are quite solitary animals, preferring to live alone. They hunt mostly small prey, including fish, monkeys, deer or wild pigs. Sometimes they stray into farmland and take livestock such as cattle, pigs or goats. This is unfortunate, as it causes anger from the local people. Tigers have big appetites and can eat an entire deer at one time! But, it isn’t unusual for them to go for several days without eating at all.

Tigers have the largest canine teeth of all the big cats, they can grow to between two and a half to three inches long. Wow, I wouldn’t want to brush those every day! They also have powerful claws to hold down their prey.

Are the Tigers Days Numbered?

Many species of tiger are now extinct, including the Javan, Bali and Caspian tigers. Others that still survive today include the Bengal, Sumatran, Siberian, Indo Chinese, Malayan, and South China, although no wild South China tigers have been seen for the last 25 years.

I think it’s really sad, but there are fewer than 8,000 wild tigers left in the world today. At the beginning of the last century, this number was closer to 100,000. The cause is mostly down to man, destroying their natural habitat and hunting them towards extinction. Although tigers are a protected species and are considered endangered, unbelievably, man still hunts them for sport, as well as to protect livestock.

You may think that tigers won’t become extinct because they are bred in captivity by zoos, wildlife parks, and circuses. Perhaps you’ve even seen a beautiful white Bengal tiger in captivity, but sadly ALL the white tigers in captivity have been bred from one single male tiger. He was called Mohan and was the last white Bengal tiger to ever be seen in the wild. He was captured in 1951, from Rewa in Central India.

Because all the white tigers in captivity are Mohan’s descendants, they are typically very inbred or crossed with other species of tiger, making them no longer pure Bengal tigers.

Although people breeding white tigers say they are doing it to protect the species, it is clearly not the truth. A white tiger can create more public interest than an orange tiger, meaning more money to be made. This is so wrong! Man should not play God. It is far more important we preserve natural habitats for animals to survive in the wild and put an end to all this destruction. It’s not just tigers, white or orange, that are endangered by our greed, but 1000’s of other animal species too.

I don’t want to live in a concrete jungle! I want to live in a green world, filled with amazing birds and animals. Don’t you?

Reference material: www.indiantiger.org & www.animalsake.com

42 comments on “Fighting For Survival Of The Majestic White Bengal Tiger

  1. carole mitchell on

    Wow! Such a heartfelt essay and a pleasure to read. Lots of good information about tigers. Well written from such a young girl.

    Reply
    • Maria on

      How beautifully written, straight from the heart whilst being very informative. I did not know some of those facts, so thank you. I like you do not want to live in a concrete jungle either! Xx

      Reply
    • Hilary Crump on

      A very well written and considered piece. It wanted you to read to the end. She really knows her subject and is passionate about it. I hope she goes far. I wish there were more young people with such talent and passion. Very well done.

      Reply
    • Rebecca Pipe on

      Wow what a great blog.
      I love tigers too and it breaks my heart knowing they are struggling to survive in the wild because of mankind.
      Keep up the good work and keep spreading the message.

      Reply
  2. Sophie Ostler on

    Awesome work Amy! I love all the facts, you must have done a lot of research! It’s so great to see someone speaking for the tigers, I’m with you! x

    Reply
  3. Kelly on

    And now I am going to google everything I can about White Bengel Tigers! Thanks for the info Amy and showing your passion in your writing!

    Reply
    • Alex on

      What à wonderful article.
      Very well written.
      Majestic creatures are tigers. So wonderful to see a young person so interested in wildlife.

      Reply
  4. Shian Horan on

    Amazing article written clearly, simply and passionatly with heaps of information, some of which is new to me at my ripe old age.

    Reply
  5. Warren on

    I don’t want to live in that ‘concrete jungle’ either Amy.
    An EXCELLENT piece and needs to be seen, read and appreciated by everyone.
    Well done with this piece of writing, it is heartening to know that ‘the future of critical thinking and great writing is safe for another generation, at least with one young girl.

    Reply
  6. Jacqui Piper on

    Thanks Amy, for such an interesting article. Informative, but with such a light touch! Warm and passionate, leaves us wanting to know more about such an important issue. Well done and keep writing. You have so much talent.

    Reply
  7. Christine Cotterell on

    Well written and you are clearly passionate about your subject. It is wonderful to see such caring thoughts, a rarity today. Good luck with the competition.

    Reply
  8. Edwina Flannery on

    It was a delight to read this well written article, I really felt that the writer had a lot of knowledge about these amazing white tigers, her enthusiasm for her subject, wonderful..it was lovely to learn so much about the tigers..well done and thank you for the beautifully written piece

    Reply
  9. Bronwyn Mullen on

    Excellent read Amy. Thank you.
    I don’t know you personally but I sure do now know a lot more about the white tiger and the importance of protecting such a species after reading your piece.
    Thank you for your informative essay. It is interesting, fun, important and written in such a way that readers of all ages and walks of life can connect with the cause and learn.
    It is so inspiring that at age 10 you show a passion for conservation. I too don’t want to live in a concrete jungle. May your essay reach many readers.

    Reply
  10. Sara on

    Well written article. Fantastic that young people are getting their voices heard. Lots of us 30-40 somethings tried but to ko avail. Hopefully the world is ready to listen now. Thank you Amy for your hard work and research

    Reply
  11. Vanessa Lees on

    A well written and informative article, particularly as it is written by someone so young. Her passion about the subject shines through.

    Reply

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