Snowflake fathered 21 offspring from 3 females named Ndenque, Bimbili, and Yuma. Four of his children are still alive, 3 females named Kena, Machinda, and Virunga who live at the Barcelona Zoo, and a son named Bindung who lives at the Fukuoka Zoo in Japan. Nine grandchildren are also alive, and 5 of them are at Barcelona Zoo. I wonder where the other 4 are. None of his offspring were white, but some of his grandchildren had white spots/patches on their hands which disappeared as they matured. Snowflake died of skin cancer due to his albinism. He had poor vision and suffered from a lack of confidence and slight loss of coordination due to lack of pigment in his eyes. I wonder how much that disability played on a white tigers undeserved "reputation" for insanity and was used as a patch for people's inability to handle/deal with them?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Snowflake--November 23, 2003 Truly one of a kind
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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3 comments:
Wade, you wondered how much their disability had to do with the white tigers' undeserved reputation for "insanity" and was used as a patch for people's inability to handle/deal with them. If you check back to the original white tiger discussion, that hateful word "insanity" originally came from one of their own respected trainers. I have come to believe that you were probably the only trainer to truly understand them, love them, and accept them the way they are.
Mary Ann
Mary Ann,
It has always been alibied that way, and is today. Respected I think you have been around long enough to understand/know that if somebody happens to be there at day for the interview, they are "respected and well know." There was/is no way to except them. As in the case of Snowflake the ones who had studied him for year were able to discern a slight difference given the eyes.
Wade
According to albino British Columbia businessman Peter Ash most albinos are legally blind. Have you heard of the plight of albinos in Tanzania? http://www.underthesamesun.com/home.php
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