I think it numbers at 8 to 11 now. Ridiculous, all that space could be used to breed Sumatrans or some other endangered subspecies, not these! (Although it's beutiful and a very good picture)
As with most of your photos the shot is fantastic. It is the subject matter that I object to. How WMSP got their BIAZA accreditation I'll never know when they constantly ignore guidelines and breed inbreds and hybrids...
Are you really sure that this is pure bred "Bengal" ???? I doubt !!!! Not only because it doesn't look as pure bred Bengal tiger, the white coat could be confusing. But actually to my best knowledge (perhaps I am wrong??) there are no pure bred Bengal tigers in zoos outside India. At least no more !! Of course we all know the beginnings. Mohan, pure bred Bengal white tiger of Rewa with his own daughter Radha gave three litters: October 1958 - 4 "white" cubs: females Rani and Sukeshi and male Raja went to Delhi Zoo and female Mohini was sent as special present to National Zoo in Washington DC. April 1960 - 3 cubs (2 whites and 1 normal), all three were sold to Calcutta Zoo; March 1962 - 2 cubs, female Chemeli and male Champak were bought in 1963 by Bristol Zoo. (BTW - the only other pure Bengal white tiger known to me which officialy was sent from Rewa was female Princess bought for 35 thousands US$ by Miami Crandon Park Zoo - she died in December 1970 without any descendants). And at the beginning all was under control - well at least until mid 1970's. And then started the problem - because in several other places were born another "white" tigers of unknown origin (eg. Hawthorn Circus, Illinois etc.) If you want to know more please refer to Tigers of the world. eds. Ronald Lewis Tilson and Ulysses S. Seal, 1987 - there is a separate chapter devoted to white tigers including very good article by dr.A.K.Roychoudhury on the genetics of white tigers.
