Meet ‘Nieve’ – a rare white Bengal tiger cub rejected by its mom and raised by humans!
An extremely rare white tiger was born in a Nicaraguan zoo. The cute little thing named Nieve – which means “snow” in Spanish, was born less than a week ago. Unfortunately, the cub’s mother – a yellow and black Bengal tiger, rejected it shortly after birth. The mother is a rescued circus tiger and according to the zoo’s spokesperson she could not produce milk for the baby. Sadly, it frequently happens to a wild animal kept in captivity to lose its maternal instincts.
Fortunately for the tiny Nieve, its help came from the zoo director’s wife who was more than happy to hand feed and take care of such an adorable creature. The cub, whose the first white tiger born in a Central American country, weighed around two pounds at birth, according to the zoo’s director Eduardo Sacasa.
White tigers are not a separate tiger species and they only live in captivity as a result of a recessive gene carried by their parents which are Bengal tigers, according to The Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) calls them “a genetic anomaly” with no individual known to live in the wild. Both Nieve’s parents are black and yellow tigers, but apparently it inherited that gene from its grandfather.
Marina Arguello, the Nicaragua zoo director’s wife said she will take care of little cub until it will be strong enough to feed itself. Until then, Marina will have a pretty tough job to do. “She has not lost her appetite, she said. “Every three hours she gets the bottle. If not, she screams… also if the milk gets too cold.”
(h.t: MailOnline | NDTV)