Rare White Bengal Tiger Cub Among Four Born In Cuba Zoo

India-West News Desk

LOS ANGELES, CA – Four Bengal tiger cubs, including an exceptionally rare white cub, have been born at Cuba’s National Zoo, offering a rare conservation success story even as the country struggles with its economy.

The Bengal tiger is the most numerous tiger subspecies and is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found primarily in India, as well as parts of Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Despite being the world’s most common tiger subspecies, Bengal tigers remain endangered because of habitat loss, poaching and human wildlife conflict.

The white cub born at the Havana zoo is not a separate subspecies but a rare genetic variation of the Bengal tiger caused by a recessive gene that affects coat pigmentation. White Bengal tigers are extremely uncommon, with fewer than 200 believed to exist worldwide. Nearly all live in captivity, and there are no known wild populations.

The birth marks only the second time a white Bengal tiger has been born in Cuba. The first occurred in March 2021, when the zoo also welcomed four Bengal tiger cubs.

The cubs were born as the zoo grapples with severe shortages caused by Cuba’s economic and energy crisis. Reuters reported the facility requires about 20 liters of diesel each day to transport food across its sprawling 375-hectare grounds but receives only about five liters.

The fuel shortage has forced zoo workers to rely on horse drawn carts and electric tricycles to move food for animals, including buffalo, zebras, rhinoceroses, hippos and big cats.