Cat cuddle time! Rare white tiger born at Nicaragua zoo adopted by human mum
- The baby feline, who was born at the end of 2020, was rejected by her mother
- WWF describes the big cats as a genetic anomaly
Nieve, or Snow, snuggles up to her human mama. Photo: INTI OCON / AFPBittersweet news from Nicaragua: a rare white tiger, named Nieve (“snow” in Spanish) was born at the Nicaragua Zoo, but its mother rejected it (awww). Luckily, a human mum stepped in to take care of her (yay!).
Nieve came into the world a week ago, weighing just under a kilogram at birth, said director Eduardo Sacasa.
Conservation group WWF describes white tigers as “a genetic anomaly”, with none known to exist in the wild. There are several dozen in captivity.
White tigers are Bengal tigers whose parents carry a recessive gene, according to The Wildcat Sanctuary in the United States, which helps and studies felines. They are not albinos or a separate species.
Some parks and zoos inbreed white tigers, as their cubs draw more visitors, though this is often at the cost of malformations and other genetic problems, states the sanctuary website.
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The Nicaragua zoo said Nieve was the first-ever white tiger born in the country, to a pair of yellow-and-black-coloured Bengals.
The cub’s mother, rescued after she was abandoned by a circus, had inherited the rare gene from her grandfather, who was white.
Marina Arguello handfeeds Nieve every three hours. Photo by INTI OCON / AFPNieve was taken away from her mother, who rejected her, and is being bottle-fed by Sacasa’s wife, Marina Arguello, who helps manage the zoo of some 700 animals and a rescue centre.
Arguello whispers sweet nothings into the tiny cub’s ear while it suckles, and pats it lighty on the back afterwards.
“She has not lost her appetite; every three hours she gets the bottle. If not, she screams ... also if the milk gets too cold,” said Arguello.