Climbing White Tiger

Flickr Link
Camera: Nikon D40
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 400

This is, by far, my most popular photo, but I don’t like it. It’s blurry, it’s static, it’s not well framed, it’s poor in every technical aspect. As of this writing, it has 1,688 views, has been commented on by 11 people, and has been made a favorite 7 times. It is the first google image search result for “climbing white tiger ” which generates a hit or three a day. It was also used to make an iPhone desktop screen which appears to also be popular because that adds another couple of hits a day.

My next most popular photo has 138 views.

I think it’s so popular because you can see the tiger’s face. The way he is hugging the pole and the look on his face is vulnerable. He is sympathetic. I have a bunch of similar shots of this tiger, none of which have managed to garner more than a couple dozen hits. It’s easy to get so many because he climbs that pole three times a day every day at the Khao Kheow open zoo about an hour north of me. There is always a piece of meat strung up there at the top and I’ve shot pictures of him climbing up the pole, jumping down, grabbing the meat, eating the meat, or just about anything else you could ask for.

But this shot is the one that people like.

In any case, White Tigers themselves are interesting creatures. They are not endangered because they are not a species. They are a simple genetic mutation of Bengal Tigers, and Bengal Tigers are the only creatures which have ever been found to have this mutation. They are not albinos because they have the black stripes, while albinos would have to be entirely white.

The gene is recessive and there aren’t many tigers known to have it, so the only reliable way to get more white tigers is through excessive inbreeding. The situation is even more complicated because the gene that causes whiteness also causes the tigers to be crosseyed and suffer from mental retardation.

Still, they bring in visitors to zoos, so they are valuable and will continue to be bred. I’m still struggling with whether or not I’m ok with the concept that animals can be here for our entertainment. I’m a long shot from having a settled viewpoint on supporting questionable breeding habits.