White tiger

« The first white tigers in France were housed at the ZooParc de Beauval »

Why is the white tiger white?

An unusual tiger!

The white tiger has a genetic peculiarity called leucism. This is a deficiency in melanin (a natural pigment), which causes the colouration of its coat. Although leucism and albinism may appear similar, they are not the same. Unlike the orange coat of other tigers, the white tiger’s pale fur does not provide camouflage amongst the vegetation of the tropical forest, therefore greatly reducing its life expectancy in the wild. Being easily spotted by its prey and any potential predators, it is therefore exposed to danger and unable to feed.

White tiger - Animals of the ZooParc de Beauval

The Beauval Nature association

For the past 10 years, the Beauval Nature association has joined forces with field workers to support them in their primary mission of species conservation. Beauval works closely with numerous conservation and research programmes around the world to study and protect endangered species. This everyday action takes place in order to protect our biodiversity.

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Beauval’s white tigers

Following the arrival of white tigers at Beauval, many cubs have been born, starting with the offspring of the famous Gorby and Raïssa, then those of Sherkan and Chili, and most recently those of Jaipur and Shiva.

Once they have reached adulthood, these young tigers then leave Beauval to reproduce in other zoos.

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Learn more about the species

Range

Asia

Diet

Carnivore
Gestation period

3 to 4 months
Litter size

1 to 7 youngs
Habitat

Forests

The white tiger is not a separate species

The white tiger is only different from other tigers in terms of its colour. The genetic peculiarity that gives it this distinctive coat can affect all tiger subspecies independently. It is therefore incorrect to describe it as a separate species or as a subspecies of Panthera tigris.

The first white tigers in France

Although the white tiger is now found in many different zoos, the ZooParc de Beauval became the first zoo in France to house white tigers in 1991. It was in large part due to their arrival that the Beauval ornithological park became the ZooParc that you know now!

In all shapes and sizes

There are currently 6 subspecies of tigers, all of which are distributed across the Asian continent. These impressive felines, such as the Bengal, Malayan, and Indochinese tiger, have varying builds depending on the region they inhabit. The Sumatran tiger, for example, is the smallest of all tigers measuring only 2.20 m in length and weighing around 100 kg. The Amur tiger, however, can weigh up to 350 kg and exceed 3.5 m in length!