Searing heat compounds woes of animals

Other than inconveniencing people, the searing heat has started to get to animals and birds as well.

 Quite often animals are left to fend for themselves during summer and they further find it difficult to look for food and water in the urban habitat. The soaring mercury levels in the city have also restricted the movement of stray dogs and cattle, which are seldom seen on the streets. Besides, the heat wave is also taking a toll on the birds, which are the worst affected in summer as they have to scout far and wide for food and water. 

 Lack of dense foliage around the animal enclosures at Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park has confined wild animals to their cages, who have resigned to the same fate as their domestic counterparts. Appeal

 Repeated appeals from people to set aside a bowl of water for birds and other suggestions to provide a better environment for animals are yet to percolate into people’s mindset. Animal lovers have also begun circulating a list of dos and don’ts to help people take care of animals, especially pets. 

Source: Here

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Big Cats HD Wallpapers

 

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White Bengal Tiger

Albino animals may be uncommon in the wild, but cases of albinism have somehow grown in animals held in captivity. For example, the white Bengal tiger, an albino mutation of the common orange Bengal tiger, is known to be kept and bred in zoos and nature reserves around the world. White Bengal tigers are extremely rare in the wild, but some have been reportedly seen in the areas around Rewa, Bengal, Assam, and Bihar in India. These giant cats have white fur with black or brown markings and may still show a little of their natural orange hue. In The movie 101 Dalmatians, the antagonist Cruela De Vil had a tiger killed for its fur coat.

Besides their color, another difference between the white Bengal tiger and common Bengal tiger is their size. White tigers are noticeable bigger during birth and while they are growing. Many scientists believe that the tiger’s recessive white gene is a size gene. This is also the same case in other tiger species such as Siberian tigers.

Many pure Bengal and Siberian tigers bred in captivity have produced litters with cubs that manifest the white tiger gene. Scientists are still trying to figure out where this white gene came from in the first place. Some suspect that this mutations originated from Bengal tigers alone, while others believe that the gene originated from the cat’s Siberian ancestors, theorized to have white coats. It’s a theory that’s possible, given that a tiger’s white coat and black markings allows it to camouflage itself in the Siberian tundra.

Aside from being highlights in zoos and nature reserves, a few white tigers have also gained popularity on stage. The most notable ones would be the white tigers trained by magicians Siegfried & Roy, who had a long running magic show in Las Vegas. The magicians referred to these tigers as “royal white tigers,” and were taught tricks that went along with the magic show.

White Bengal Tiger Video

 

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Ukraine’s Newborn White Tigers

As protected endangered species, tigers are among the most endangered and rare, with six tiger species listed in the endangered species list.

So when news when the Yalta Zoo based in Yalta, Ukraine celebrated the birth of four tiger cubs – four white tiger cubs – broke out, a lot of attention was directed towards the zoo, particularly on its tiger breeding program.

Born last Sunday on May 6, the four white tiger cubs – with one albino – are now the proud new residents of the Yalta Zoo, whose birth is an inspiring occasion, one which can be tallied as a success for the zoo’s tiger population rehabilitation efforts.

In most cases, two or three in one-time litters of white tiger cubs are known to occur. The four white tiger cub number in one litter is a rarity in itself, with white tigers themselves already being rare in the first place.

Known as a recessive mutant of the Bengal Tiger specie, white tigers are physically identified through their white and black stripes. As creatures, they have become part of various ancient and current traditional and modern pop culture trends, from being embodied forms of deities to representations of positive virtues and beliefs.

Rare in the wild, most instances of white tigers happen in captive ecosystems and environments, where monitoring and breeding population is regularly recorded. However, wild white tigers are known to be present in the wild.

In terms of estimates, one in every 15,000 Bengal Tigers are born as white tigers.

Having said that, the four white tigers born in the Yalta Zoo are truly rare births.

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