 ZABU White Female Siberian/Bengal Hybrid
DOB 5/15/00
Zabu was born at a circus and roadside zoo in
New England that has closed. It
was their intention to cross breed Zabu, a white tiger, with their resident male
lion, Cameron, in order to create baby white Ligers. These freakish hybrids have become popular,
though this is not an animal that would even exist in the wild. It is important
that people understand that, by refusing to visit venues with these animals
on display, this type of animal abuse can be stopped.
White tigers do not exist in the wild. They can
neither hide from attack nor sneak up to hunt prey. Man has created the
glut of white tigers in captivity today through rampant inbreeding. Because
white tigers are all so deeply inbred, they all carry genetic flaws. Zabu
is no exception. She has a hairlip and cleft palate, which means
she has no upper lip to protect her teeth. We try to educate people to
understand that, for every white tiger they see, many, many normal colored
tigers have died. Since public demand for the white tiger has driven
up prices for them, more and more are being bred. Those that are born “the
wrong color” are discarded in various horrific ways.
This photo was taken on the first day that Zabu arrived at Big Cat Rescue after
a long ride in the back of a van. The very first thing she did was start
splashing and scrubbing her dirty fur on the walls of her pool.
We built an extra large cat-a-tat for both Zabu and Cameron to share since
they are truly bonded as a couple. Cameron received a vasectomy and Zabu
later was spayed in order to assure that no breeding of any kind could occur. While
Cameron tries to sleep most of the day away (as lions do in the wild), Zabu
is extremely energetic and is always pestering him to play. She’ll
often give up on him and just run and jump and play with her big red Planet
Ball. Of course, that’s after she’s tired of playfully stalking
her keepers or trying to spray the groups of visitors that stop by everyday. She’s
a mischievous girl!
|
