Rare White Tiger Cub Found Among Garbage Bins Near Athens

A tiger cub that was left abandoned among garbage bins near Athens is being treated for malnutrition, with vets saying that it is in a really bad condition.

The 4-month-old female cub, which is paralyzed, was discovered hiding under the bins in the town of Spata, east of Athens. It is being treated at the Attica Zoological Park clinic.

“No one knows where it came from or how it got here,” park founder Jean Jacques Lesueur told Proto Thema daily, adding that the feline was likely abandoned on Monday.

“It’s in terrible condition,” he said.

As he explained to Newsbomb.gr, it is obviously the act of an unscrupulous person, who, after illegally acquiring the white cub, decided to get rid of it because of its disability.

Λευκό τιγράκι βρέθηκε εγκαταλελειμμένο στα σκουπίδια . Το ζώο δυστυχώς είναι ανάπηρο, είναι μωρό περίπου 3 με 4 μηνών, θηλυκό. Το έχουμε κάνει ακτίνες και είναι χάλια η κατάστασή του» ανέφερε ο ιδρυτής του Αττικού Πάρκου.
Η κακή κατάσταση του προέρχεται κυρίως από κακή διατροφή. pic.twitter.com/vzJPezHo1m

— Popeye (@Popeye_gr) March 8, 2023

Rare white tiger cub

Conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) describes white tigers as “a genetic anomaly,” with none known to exist in the wild.

They are often the result of inbreeding, exposing them to a host of health problems at birth. A white tiger’s pale coloration is due to the lack of the red and yellow pheomelanin pigments that normally produce the orange coloration. An additional genetic condition can result in a near-complete absence of stripes, making the tiger almost pure white.

The color of the white tiger’s fur is the result of a genetic mutation called leucism. In fact, this white coat would be a hindrance in the wild, as it doesn’t provide a tiger with any camouflage, which greatly reduces their chance of survival.

In the US, all white tigers originate from a single male white continental tiger which was imported to the country decades ago, WWF says.

The park says it hosts more than 2,000 animals from 290 different species.