The Rare Golden Tiger

This is one of the most beautiful tiger specimens we've ever seen! The golden tiger, also called the strawberry tiger, gets it gorgeous (and extremely rare) color from a recessive gene that is actually only found in captive tigers. Like the white tiger, the golden tiger is just a different color NOT a separate species of tiger.



It is not known exactly what causes the golden tiger's color variation. One theory is the breeding of Amur tigers with Bengal tigers. Another is that wild golden tigers in India developed the color to help them better blend into their surroundings.



In North America, there are currently about a dozen golden tigers in captivity, including at the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the Dakota Zoo in North Dakota, the Cougar Mountain Zoological Park in Washington and the Safari's Wildlife Sanctuary in Oklahoma.