Cincinnati Bengals and White Tigers
Today, May 23rd marks the anniversary of the day the Cincinnati Bengals were granted a franchise in the NFL. So, it’s time for another animal-related NFL story. Today, we’re going to look at why Cincinnati used the name Bengals and the history of white tigers in this Ohio city.
The name came from a previous football team in the city, who took theirs from a Bengal tiger at the Cincinnati Zoo. It isn’t the strangest choice in the league, as there are plenty of other cats, with the Lions, Jaguars, and Panthers stalking their respective divisions.
The animal in question was a white tiger, which made it even more special to the people of Cincinnati. Over the 20th century, Cincinnati became an important home for white tigers and gained a reputation for breeding these animals. Looking back, that reputation is a little tainted.
The zoo took on a female descendent of the first white cub to enter the US in 1958, buying her from the National Zoo in Washington. From there, they bred a succession of individuals, who would go on to have careers in the limelight.
The story of the white tiger becomes even sadder when we look at their legacy and demise. The harsh reality is that this is a genetic variant, and is meant to be an anomaly. It isn’t viable to create a line of white tigers without a lot of inbreeding and the risk of some serious birth defects.
Some of these animals will look pretty healthy on the surface, perhaps exhibiting little more than that characteristic lack of pigment. Others are left cross-eyed due to the impact of the recessive genes. Then there are the unusual tigers with cleft palates and squashed faces. This is not some special breed, as some collectors were led to believe. Add in the high risk of infant mortality, and you have a type of tiger that shouldn’t be selectively bred.
The nature of the white tigers, in particular the mutated ones, means they have no place in the world other than in zoos, collections, and circus performances. Sigfried and Roy’s white tigers came from Cincinatti. One was a pure white cub with no pigment at all. They and similar white tigers worked with them for decades until one snapped and attacked them in 2003. Some have since been rescued by campaigners and taken to sanctuaries to live out the rest of their years.
The good news for animal lovers is that Cleveland Zoo stopped deliberately breeding and selling white tigers a while ago. In fact, there are no white tigers left at the zoo. The sad news is that the white tigers that remained at the zoo have since passed on. Their last, a female called Popsy, died in 2018. A male called Akere was euthanized in 2017 after developing untreatable cancer.
Today, the closest Cincinnati gets to white tigers in the city are the Bengals players and supporters on the day the stadium turns white. This alternative kit is a nod to the original white Bengals and a striking uniform out on the field. The black stripes on the white helmet make this headwear one of the best-looking examples in the league.
As for typically-colored tigers in Cincinnati, there are some at the zoo and a large fake one on the touchline. Who Dey, the Bengals mascot, continues to rile up the crowds at home games. There was once a tiger at the zoo with the same name, after a fan contest. This tiger was Malayan but close enough to the Bengal for the football fans. Who Dey lived in the city for nearly a decade before moving to Kansas.
This isn’t a call to eradicate the white tiger from existence because of the inbreeding and defects involved. If a white tiger occurs naturally, it should be allowed the same care and support as any other cub in captivity. We just can’t go back to selectively breeding these big cats for these recessive genes. It’s no good for the animals, the species, or the reputation of the zoos involved. Let’s save the white tigers for game day at Paycor Stadium and leave them there.
The series so far
Part 1: Miami Dolphins https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/miamis-dolphins-from-misguided-mascots-to-axed-aquariums-ea3f05c750e9
Part 2: Arizona Cardinals https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/why-is-arizonas-mascot-a-cardinal-dc62bb70e16b
Part 3: Cincinniti Bengals https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/cincinnati-bengals-and-white-tigers-07d299cf371c
Part 4: Seattle Seahawks https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/why-seattles-seahawk-isn-t-even-a-seahawk-2a79872179ab
Part 5: Best Horse Mascots https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/the-best-horse-mascots-in-the-nfl-d2c30b787aad
Part 6: https://medium.com/@d.e.bradley/could-the-detroit-lions-get-a-live-lion-d668ba09b648
