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S N O W B E N G A L S

Page 2 - IT'S SNOWING IN THE WILD

Updated 12/26/2007

DGC RW Greenmansions Othello, Seal Mink Spotted Tabby

Continued from Page 1 - "Snowing In The Wild"

The term used to describe them is “leucistic,” or “leucism,” which has been reported only in the Bengal tiger--not the other tigers, such as the Siberian, which are said to have resulted from cross bred production. Pigmentation is lacking in their skin and fur, but present in their eyes, which are ice blue or pale blue. Nose leather is mottled pink. Color of pelage ranges from white to off-white to cream with light to dark brown or ash-grey stripes.

The ancestor of the early white Bengal tigers is “Mohan,” who is said to have been captured when he was found orphaned in the forest of central India by the Maharaja of Rewa in 1951. The history on one particular web site, authored by Dr. P. Kumar, is very interesting and references ancient documents as early as 1560 AD containing references to a white tiger. He also mentions further documentation in Indian archives of specific sightings throughout the last 100 years.

Now, how does this tie in with our lovely snow Bengals? I’m afraid it might open more questions than provide answers....for instance--should we be referring to our snow Bengals as leucistic? We know they aren’t albinos in the true sense of the meaning. But they’re referred to as carriers of the “albino gene.” Do leucistic Asian Leopard Cats exist in the wild? Since leucism obviously exists in the “big cats,” and apparently has existed for at least 100 years in the tiger subspecies as documented in India, it seems the possibility may exist even if remote. At any rate, it’s fun to speculate and perhaps envision a snow Asian Leopard Cat, regal with deep violet-blue eyes and rosetted pelage, melting into the leafy jungle of her natural habitat, keeping her silent secrets among the shadows of the exotic forests.

Acknowledgements:

“Wild Cats of the World”Wolf and Sleeper
“Kingdom of Might, The World’s Big Cats” Brakefield