Tiger cub in a playful mood AFRICA FASCINATING images of a white tiger mum sharing a tender moment with her orange-furred cubs were snapped in South A


Tiger cub in a playful mood AFRICA FASCINATING images of a white tiger mum sharing a tender moment with her orange-furred cubs were snapped in South Africa. The mum is named Tibo, a white tiger born from two orange tigers who happened to be the carriers of the recessive white gene. This makes Tibo a leucistic tiger, not an albino. She still has the presence of melanin, hence her dark stripes, but she possesses a gene that cannot synthesise red and white pigments. Her mate, Kumba, is not a carrier of the recessive white gene, which is the reason for her 10-week-old cubs being orange. They are, however, also the carriers of their mother?s white gene. Wildlife photographer Daniella Kueck (32) took these amazing pictures at the Tiger Canyon Private Game Reserve from a distance of 50 feet. ?I get to spend a lot of time with these animals and know them intimately,? she said. ?This reserve is a successful endangered big cat project based in South Africa's Free State province. ?This project is the future of conservation. Animals are running out of space globally, and inbreeding is becoming a greater issue. ?Tigers are the most endangered big cats in the world. With less than 4,000 tigers left in the wild and Asia's population exploding at an alarming rate, we need to do everything we can to help save these beautiful ENDS


Size: 5250px × 9178px
Photo credit: © Media Drum World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: african, animals, cubs, family, orange, photographer, tiger, white, wild, wildlife