White Tigers: Moneymaking Mutants
White tigers are not a species but simply an aberrant color variation of Bengal tigers. Recessive genes produce white fur, chocolate stripes, blue eyes, and a pink nose. White tigers appear occasionally in the wild but are at a distinct disadvantage because they lack the camouflage necessary to ensure survival. All captive white tigers are inbred, which has led to serious congenital defects including cataracts, club feet, and near-crippling hip dysplasia. Breeding white tigers serves no conservation purpose and is done solely for its amusement and profit value. While normal tigers are sold for around $500, white tigers can be sold for between $25,000 and $100,000 each.

The entertainment industry, through acts such as Feld Entertainment’s Siegfried and Roy, tries to legitimize casino acts and carnival sideshows with breeding programs for the "nearly extinct white tiger," when in fact they are propagating genetic freaks.