Golden tiger: rare beauty or alarm for nature?

There are only about 30 famous golden tigers worldwide, also called strawberry tiger, which are notorious for their extraordinary fur coloring. Instead of the typical contrasting orange with black stripes, you have an almost blond, golden fur with reddish stripes. This phenomenal color pattern is created thanks to a recessive gene that only occurs with Bengaltiger. More precisely, both parents have to own and pass on this gene-an extremely rare case in nature, such as reports.

The first golden tiger, which caused a stir in social media in early 2024, was spotted by wildlife photographer Gaurav Ramnarayanan in the Kaziranga National Park. This type of breeding is often carried out by inbreeding, which is questionable for the health of the tigers. According to animal rights activists, the advent of these golden tigers in national parks such as Kaziranga could be alarm signs for genetic impoverishment. This problem could indicate that there is a lack of "fresh gene material" and the tigers can therefore only mate with each other. This leads to a concern about the long-term survival of the tiger population in the park, since inbreeding can result in physical impairments and a weakened immune system of the animals, as petbook.de Explicit

rarity and concern

The researchers estimate that less than a tiger of 10,000 is born with a white color, while golden tigers should be even less common. This fascination attracts the attention of many spectators and leaves the question of how many actually live in the wild. In Kaziranga there were reports of at least four golden tigers, which only increases the concern for inbreeding. Practically all golden tigers in captivity go back to a single white tiger named Bhim, which is responsible for the rare fur color.

The Situation in the Kaziranga National Park is further exacerbated by the increasing fragmentation of forests and the loss of habitats. Animal rights activists warn that this isolated the tiger population and increases the likelihood of future health problems. At a time when the world is increasingly trying to protect and preserve endangered species, the golden tiger remains an outstanding example of the challenges that zoologists and conservationists look for.