A rare golden tiger was recently seen and photographed in northeastern India by a tour guide and safari group. While the tiger appeared to be a pleasant surprise, there is a much darker truth to the seemingly harmless golden tiger that worries researchers.
Golden tigers’ remarkable coloring, light with blonde stripes, is a result of a recessive genetic mutation. The extended period of production of pheomelanin, which makes tigers orange, leads to the rare color of golden tigers. These mutated tigers are in the same family as the also uncommon snow-white tigers, which, according to CNN, make up just 1 in 10,000 tigers born in the wild. This number is even lower for the rare golden tiger.
While this might not seem like cause for alarm, the fact that such a rare tiger was seen in the wild—when the comparably uncommon white tiger relative is now only known in captivity—tells scientists that there is inbreeding occurring between tigers in the wild. Usually, tigers with rare colors like gold and white are not born in the wild but are instead specifically bred to have those traits in captivity. These tigers also tend to be much more susceptible to immune problems and other deficiencies, which can make their lives more uncomfortable. The fact that such a tiger has been found in the wild suggests to scientists that tigers have been forced to inbreed, increasing the likelihood of this unusual genetic trait. The culprit of the rare mutation spreading is the environment.
More than 70% of the world’s wild tigers live in India, according to the Earth Journalism Network. This golden tiger was spotted in Kaziranga National Park, which is the most densely populated protected area for tigers in India. Due to climate change, this region, along with much of India, has faced flooding and riverbank erosion. This physically limits the amount of available space for tigers, especially considering that they have already been forced into increasingly small habitats. It is no longer realistic for tigers to survive outside of protected areas, so as these protected areas shrink due to climate change, which is greatly accelerated by human activity, tigers are forced together and their numbers cannot be maintained. This has led to tigers inbreeding due to loss of habitats and forced proximity, producing the rare golden tiger.
While the golden tiger is beautiful, it is important to recognize that the golden tiger is rare for a reason. Its appearance marks a significant struggle for tigers, even in protected areas like Kaziranga National Park, as natural disasters and climate change have reduced their habitats enough to push them towards inbreeding. Steps must be taken to protect the tigers and slow the effects of climate change or the species may suffer as a whole.
