Golden Tiger

A golden tiger, golden tabby tiger or strawberry tiger is one with an extremely rare color variation caused by a recessive gene that is currently only found in captive tigers. Like the white tiger, it is a color form and not a separate species. In the case of the golden tiger, this is the wide band gene; while the white tiger is due to the color inhibitor (chinchilla) gene. There are currently believed to be fewer than 12 of these rare tigers in the world, but many more carriers of the gene.

While no official name has been designated for the color, it is sometimes referred to as the strawberry tiger due to the strawberry blonde coloration. The golden tiger's white coat and gold patches make it stand out from the norm. Their striping is much paler than usual and may fade into spots or large prominent patches. Golden tigers also tend to be larger and, due to the effect of the gene on the hair shaft, have softer fur than their orange relatives.

Like their white cousins, all golden tabby tigers have mainly Bengal parentage, but are genetically polluted with the genes of the Amur tiger via a part-Amur white tiger called Tony, who is a common ancestor of almost all white tigers in North America. The suggestion that this coloration is caused through the deliberate breeding of Amur tigers with Bengal tigers is a popular myth founded on this fact. All golden tigers appear traceable to one of Tony's male descendants, Bhim.

India has records of wild golden tigers which date back as far as the early 1900s. There have been suggestions that the tendency for this coloration gradually developed in a small group of tigers living in an area of heavy clay concentration. The unusual color would provide these tigers with extra camouflage. The theory remains unproven, however, inbreeding of a small isolated group of tigers could cause the recessive golden tiger gene to emerge if at least one of those tigers carried the recessive gene for the golden color and bred with its own offspring Golden tigers may occur in the same litter as stripeless or nearly stripeless tigers. This is due to the effect of the wide-band gene on the normal orange color and the white color respectively. The wide band mutation is not found solely in white tigers and may also be carried by normal coloured tigers, however carriers of the wide band gene are probably no longer found in the wild. Wild-born golden tigers might be disadvantaged as they are less well camouflaged than normal orange tigers. The last known wild Golden tigers were shot outside of Mysore Pradesh, India in the early 20th century.

Today, there are less then 30 of these animals in the world, showing how rare these tigers really are. However there are confirmed tigers that carry the Golden Tiger Gene, improving their chances of breeding. Because the Golden Tabby is not an individual subspecies of tiger, biologists and scientists have states that they're not going to spend a significant about of time, money and effort to protect this gene. However, the wildlife conservations and zoos they are found in greatly appreciate these rare creatures for their "beauty and intelligence."