Tiger changes his stripes in Spain

A rare white tiger with blue eyes and no stripes has been born in Spain, a wild animal refuge said today.

The male tiger cub – named Artico, the Spanish word for Arctic – was born three months ago, said Serafin Donenech, director of the Arca wildlife centre near the south-eastern coastal resort of Alicante.

Only 20 such tigers are believed to exist, all in captivity, since the strange white colour makes them easy prey for other animals, or candidates for rejection and attacks by other tigers, Donenech said.

“It’s an exceptional case,” he said, adding that Artico was born to normal-coloured Bengal tigers, which are orange with black stripes.

When born, the cub only weighed 700 grams (1.5lbs), leading keepers to fear he would not survive.

He now weighs 9 kilograms (20lbs), but still need special treatment due to digestion problems.

TV footage broadcast today showed the white cub playing with children at the wildlife centre.

White tigers are a breed of Bengal tigers, Panthera tigris tigris, from India and south-east Asia.