What makes their fur like that? How rare are they? Here’s what you need to know about the golden tiger breed that Ava, the cute cub in Chiang Mai Night Safari, belongs to.
The internet has been swooning over Ava, the golden tiger over at Chiang Mai Night Safari, for her cuteness and her beautiful mane. Ava is a rare kind of tiger known as a golden tiger, also known as a golden tabby or strawberry tiger because of the lighter colour of their fur. Because of this, they stand out from the rest of their fellow tigers, and in the age of social media, they become viral sensations.
Here’s everything you need to know about the golden tiger breed that Ava belongs to.
[Hero image: Chiang Mai Night Safari]
Ava and the golden tiger breed: Everything you need to know
What is a golden tiger?
A golden tiger is a breed of tiger with lighter-coloured fur. Their manes are usually a light blonde with reddish or brownish stripes giving them a sort of strawberry colour. Because of this, they are also sometimes called strawberry tigers.
What causes their fur to be like that?
The fur is the result of a recessive gene. According to the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, this is the wide band gene.
What are the origins of the golden tiger?
Their roots can be traced all the way back to a white tiger named Bhim. After a series of inbreeding between his sister and daughter (very Game of Thrones), a litter of white and golden tigers were born.
How rare are these golden tigers?
Very. The Bangkok Post reported there are believed to be less than 100 of them in the entire world with less than 10,000 cubs being born like this. Thailand is quite lucky to have two of them: Ava and her sister Luna.
Aside from their fur, what other differences are there between golden tigers and normal tigers?
The Zoological Wildlife Foundation says that the fur of golden tigers isn’t just lighter but also softer than normal tigers. They’re also larger in size with males measuring 270 centimetres to 310 centimetres and females measuring 240 centimetres to 265 centimetres.
Is it possible to visit Ava and Luna?
Yes! In fact, we have a whole breakdown of how you can go see them at Chiang Mai Night Safari here.
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Written by
Eric E. Surbano
Senior Writer | Entertainment & Tech
Eric can be found lost in his own world jamming with headphones on while writing when he's not prepping for a DnD session or researching 'Star Wars' galactic history on Wookiepedia. A proud Ravenclaw, he loves playing (and writing about) video games, humming the 'Doctor Who' theme under his breath, and rewatching 'Friends', 'New Girl', and 'The West Wing'.
