BANGKOK, Nov 25 — Moo Deng the viral baby hippo now has competition in the social media stakes: meet Eva, a rare golden tiger already winning over the internet with what people say are her ‘goofy’ expressions.
Golden tigers are a rare variant of Bengal tigers, due to a recessive colour-changing gene that gives them a tawny hue in contrast to the standard deep orange of typical Bengals.
There are only around 30 golden tigers in captivity worldwide, rarer than even white tigers (around 200 in captivity) which are also produced by rare colour mutations.
Eva and her sister Luna reside at the Chiang Mai Night Safari in norther Thailand, though Eva is the popular one with 24,000 shares and over 34,000 likes on her photos.
SCMP reported that in contrast to her wild siblings, Eva comes across as playful and sociable according to her keepers.
Her softer features and expressions make her a lot less scary than the average tiger, drawing visitors to the zoo and comments on the internet praising how ‘clean’ her fur seems to be.
To keep up with Eva and her antics, you can follow Chiang Mai Night Safari’s social media accounts for your fluffy golden fix.
