Heterozygous tiger

Heterozygous Tigers are the world's rarest tiger (next to the Maltese Tiger). Heterozygous golden tigers look identical to other golden tigers. However, they differ in one important way; a heterozygous golden tiger carries the recessive gene for a white coat. In other words, when bred with a white tiger, a heterozygous golden tiger may produce striped white or snow white cubs. In Las Vegas, at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden in The Mirage, they have a number of them.

Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn, better known as Siegfried & Roy, have dedicated their lives to the preservation of these unique animals, and it is evident in their "garden." From lush foliage native to the animals' natural habitat to jungle-themed music to the best medical care money can buy, the creatures that call the Secret Garden their home have it made.

The pair's efforts trace back to the early '80s when they began a breeding program with the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden with two striped white tigers and a snow-white tiger cub. There are now nearly 40.

In 1995 they partnered with the Johannesburg Zoo in South Africa to make similar progress with white lions. At the time there were fewer than 10; there are now 23 Heterozygous Tigers in the care of Siegfried & Roy.