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National Tree Day Planet Ark Home
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Blue-Eyed, Stripeless White Tiger Is Born |
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| SPAIN: August 11, 2004 | ||
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MADRID - A blue-eyed, stripeless white Bengal tiger, one of about 20 in the world, has been born in Spain, a wildlife refuge said. The three-month-old cub has been named Artico, Spanish for Arctic.
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"His parents are normal Bengal tigers, orange with black stripes, but because of a genetic mutation he is completely white with no stripes," said Serafin Domenech, director of El Arca (The Ark) refuge in the southeastern province of Alicante. Artico's carers delayed announcing his birth until now because he was so weak when he was born they were not sure he would survive. The cub still has trouble digesting food and requires special care. Domenech said such tigers are sometimes born in the wild but it is almost impossible for them to survive for long as their strange coloring causes them to be rejected or even attacked by other tigers. El Arca will look for a permanent home for Artico once he is strong enough. "Everybody wants a white tiger. It's not going to be hard for him to find a nice place to live," Domenech said.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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