Research overview: the white-tiger inbreeding welfare problem

White tigers are not a separate subspecies but tigers carrying a recessive pigment variant, and nearly all captive white tigers descend from a small number of related founders, so producing them relies on intense inbreeding. This overview surveys the welfare consequences of that practice: crossed eyes (strabismus) tied to the pigment pathway, plus inbreeding-related problems such as cleft palate, spinal deformities, immune deficiency, organ defects, reduced fertility and high neonatal mortality. It explains the genetic basis of the white coat in the pigment gene, distinguishing colour from the deformities driven by inbreeding depression, and reviews professional positions, including accredited-zoo bans on deliberately breeding white tigers. The synthesis frames white-tiger breeding as a welfare and ethics problem driven by selecting for novelty.