Bangladesh's first-ever white tiger cub, also known as albino (Latin word albus meaning white), has been faring quite well since its birth at Chattogram Zoo.
The sex of the white tiger cub has already been determined. However, the female cub is yet to be named.
Bengal tiger couple Raj-Pori gave birth to three cubs-one male and two females- on Jul 19.
Unfortunately, the lone male cub survived just a single day as it was accidentally crushed under its mother's paws.
The male tiger cub, which died, was also an albino.
Dr Shahadat Hossain, Chattogram Zoo's acting deputy curator and veterinary surgeon told the Bangla Tribune that this was the first-ever birth of a white tiger in Bangladesh.
"The birth of a white tiger cub is a very rare phenomenon. No white tiger has been spotted yet in the wilderness of Bangladesh. Even no zoo or safari park of Bangladesh has any white tiger. The first white tiger was spotted in the wilderness in India during the 1950s. The offspring of the albino tiger are now found in different zoos of India," said Dr Shahadat.
"Animals can be pure or partial albinos. Pure albinos usually have pink eyes, nails, scales and skin. They are pink because, without colouration, the blood vessels show through. Partial albinos have some of the coloration typical of their species, but parts of their body appear white. Being white does not make an animal an albino. The true test is whether it has pink or light blue eyes. The cub born at the zoo is a pure albino," added Dr Shahadat.
"Both tiger cubs including the white one are doing fine and the mother is suckling its cubs. The first two months are a critical period for the cubs. We will vaccinate the two cubs when they will reach two months on Sept 19. After that, we will unveil them to the visitors," said Dr Shahadat.
According to the zoologists and wildlife experts, Albinism is the "congenital absence of any pigmentation or colouration in a person, animal or plant, resulting in white hair and pink eyes in mammals.
Albinism occurs in almost all animal species, which have melanin in their bodies. They include reptiles, amphibians, molluscs, birds, and mammals.
Albinism is passed genetically from parents to offspring. Each cell contains numerous pairs of gene, one from each parent. These genes transmit traits through generations. An albino offspring results from a specific combination of genes.
"Albinism is a genetic disorder, which causes partial or complete absence of the pigment melanin. Albinos are infrequent because the genes for that trait are recessive, while the genes for normal pigmentation are dominant. If both are present, normal pigmentation occurs. If only recessive genes occur, albinism may result. Only a small percentage of animals carry the recessive gene, so the chance of the pairing of recessive genes in an individual animal is slight," said Prof Dr Badrul Amin Bhuiya, chairperson of the Biodiversity Research Group of Bangladesh.
Member Secretary of Chittagong Zoo Executive Committee Ruhul Amin expressed his optimism that the number of visitors would swell with the birth of a rare white tiger cub at the zoo.
Set up on Feb 28, 1989, the zoo is located in a six-acre of hilly terrain in the city’s Foy’s Lake area.
Run by Chattogram district administration, the zoo now houses more than 360 animals of 67 species. Of them, 34 species are of birds while the rest species are of reptiles and other mammals.