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Introduction of rare white tiger to Taiwan criticized

Taiwanese soon will be able to see a rare white tiger, a species whose population worldwide numbers less than 300, because a male white tiger introduced from Indonesia will be displayed next month at Leofoo Village Theme Park in Hsinchu County, the park announced yesterday.

However, animal conservationists said yesterday that introducing rare species to zoos should be discouraged because display does little to help endangered animal species.

Veterinarians for the theme park said the 2-year-old white tiger grew up in Taman Safari Indonesia zoo and had been in quarantine since its June 7 arrival in Taiwan.

The veterinarians said the tiger seems to be adjusting to its new environment because it eats a lot.

The park plans to introduce the tiger to the public on July 3 if it remains healthy.

The tiger has white fur instead of the more traditional orange-and-black stripes. In order to increase the rare species' population, the park has ordered a female white tiger from the same Indonesian zoo for the sake of mating.

Animal conservationists from the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) said yesterday that the case serves as a further argument for the establishment of laws regulating zoos.

"I don't see any spirit of animal conservation here, because the promotion of rare white tigers in the zoo has nothing to do with the preservation of their habitat in the wilds," said Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏), the society's director.

Chen said most of the white tigers born in zoos will spend most of their lives in cages.

In addition to the rare tiger, activists oppose the introduction of elephants and certain kinds of animals classified by conservationists as unsuitable for zoos.

In some zoos in Taiwan, Chen said, people sometimes see elephants abnormally lying on the ground without being responsive to others' touch. However, zookeepers attributed the phenomenon to the animal's laziness based on no scientific evidence, Chen said.

"It's irresponsible -- if we don't see correct animal preservation information delivered to visitors, why do we need the zoos?" Chen said.

Chen said that the society would work with other animal-rights groups to persuade the Kaohsiung Municipal Shou Shan Zoo to give up a plan to display two elephants from Thailand by the end of this year.
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