Kate emailed me to let me know that the white tiger I posted on some time ago has passed away.
His name was Kenny Rogers, and his was a sad tale. He was rescued from a private breeder who was breeding a brother and sister white tiger couple together to produce white tigers for sale (white tigers in captivity are nearly always the result of generations of in-breeding). Kenny Rogers had a twin, named Willie Nelson, who was also rescued, along with the parents.
It's believed that Kenny Rogers had a tiger version of Down Syndrome (again, possibly another result of horrid breeding practices). Thankfully, we have legitimate wildlife refuges like Turpentine Creek to care for these creatures. I'm telling you folks, don't ooh-and-ahh at the next white tiger you see. Think of the 29 others that either died or were too deformed for display (it's estimated that only 1 in 30 captive-bred white tiger cubs are able to be trotted out in public).
Thanks, Kate.
Photo source: Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge
Aug 22, 2008
Kenny Rogers Is Dead
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21 comments:
I saw this post title and thought you meant the "Gambler."
Kevin
www.carboyfilms.com
Thanks for bring such a horrible practice to light. This is why I will never (ever) own a purebred dog. The things people do to animals makes me so $#*&% angry! There's ugly, and there's UGLY... this is UGLY.
What a poor beautiful tiger. Does this include zoos with white tigers? That is just terrible.
Note that breeding Manx cats and Chinese Crested dogs also involve a certain number of nonviable offspring.
The really sad thing is that there are fewer and fewer 'real' tigers in the world, and so much money and publicity is going into breeding these....
As do attempting to breed Merle Great Danes. The recessive gene produces -- just like here -- white dogs with blue eyes. They're also usually deaf and have vision defects that range from a little to completely blind.
Poor poor babies. There should be jail time and STIFF fines for people who commit these crimes.
Please see the Big_Cat_Rescue page on white tigers. (http://www.bigcatrescue.org/cats/wild/white_tigers.htm) Kenny's appearance and health conditions are just one example of why any white tiger should make any thinking human being furious. Not at the tiger, at the unprincipled monsters who made them.
Turpentine Creek is an amazing place. You should stop by if you are in or around North West Arkansas. They have more big cats than I have ever seen in any zoo and HUGE spaces for all of them. They even rent out space to stay as a B&B.
Wow. That's the most awesomely hideous thing I've seen all day. Thank you.
He's not ugly, he's bloody well adorable. He's a tiger and that's that.
http://kennynight.ytmnd.com/
He looks like the tigers in sncient japanese art, he is beautiful.
Just wanna clarify part of this post... Kenny was definatley deformed, but the equivalent to Down's Syndrome he was not. Down's Syndrome is a result of a an extra chromosome. It is not know if Kenny had any chromosomal variations compared to any othe tiger. He looked very unusual, but mentally was equal to all other big cats.
R.I.P Kenny. You will not be forgotten
Its horrid what people can do i still think hes beautiful, but are there no naturally occuring white tigers at all?
anonymous
I don't actually think he's that ugly? Thats like seeing a down syndrome child and shouting UGLYYY at it? Be realistic... fair enough not the prettiest flower in the boquet, but he didnt choose this did he? I think he's beautiful in a certain way. I'm guessing you closed-minded people are blind to it. (:
White tigers are rare in nature, 1 in 10,000 births. And only then, in Bengal tigers.They are mostly found in captivity through deliberate inbreeding. The deformity of this tiger is actually common amongst white tigers. But of course, you won't see the deformed ones on public display. The life span is shorter due to the mutation. White tigers are good swimmers, but can't climb trees.
Oh Kenny
if I ever meet the bastard who did this to you I will rip his spleen out through his nose
oh my god, they killed kenny!
Kenny wasn't "ugly," he was a beautiful tiger. Just because he didn't match exactly the look of normal tigers doesn't make "ugly."
What's ugly is the human greed that forced these poor caged creatures to come into being. If anything, Kenny's existence wasn't in vain, because it continues to educate people about the cut throat business behind breeding captive big cats, and all the "rejects" that fall by the wayside, unwanted. Thanks to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, Kenny, Willie, and many other large cats get to live out their lives in happiness, cared for, appreciated, & free from suffering.
I love tigers but I think we have to breed more tiger that look like Kenny cause he is the most adorable tiger I have ever seen. I wish I have him in small version so I can cuddle him all day.
Down syndrome is a result of a duplication of the 21st chromosome. Tigers do not have a 21st chromosome, so it would be impossible for a tiger to have Down syndrome. Kenny had some defects due to inbreeding and albinism.
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