KENNY: THE INBRED TIGER WITH “DOWN SYNDROME”

KENNY: THE INBRED TIGER WITH “DOWN SYNDROME”

Pictures have been circulating the internet about a white tiger with down syndrome. Kenny’s diagnosis of down syndrome is questionable. But what is sure is that he was a victim of inbreeding. White tigers are rare and to ensure that the offspring would be a white tiger, Kenny’s parents were brother and sister. A lot of his siblings were stillborns or died very young.

But despite all this, breeders kept trying to mate Kenny’s parents. When parents are very closely related, there is a higher chance of both parents carrying the same “bad” gene. So there is a greater risk for their child to have a dominant bad gene. 

Kenny lived to be 10 years old. Kenny was described as non-aggressive and very friendly. 

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