Ankur, a young white tiger, a species that only exists in captivity, was born in Beauval Zoo in France and in 2010 moved to the Bioparc in Fuengirola to raise awareness of the extreme threat facing all tigers in the world, not only whites.
In June of this year, Ankur will be moving to a new home at the Maia Zoo in Portugal and Bioparc have organised a number of farewell activities via their website www.bioparcfuengirola.es.
The white feline was a very popular character at Bioparc amongst visitors and staff.
The white tiger is not an albino. The albino is devoid of melanin, a pigment that protects the skin from solar radiation, and has transparent eyes which appear red due to the reflection of blood in the retina.
The white tiger has a genetic condition restricting the amount of melanin in the tip of the hairs, giving it less defined stripes. They also have lovely blue eyes.