In the “wild cats' kitchen”, where the healers prepare gargantuan portions of bidoche, Sherkan's memory is invited in the form of a photo-tribute.
“Without wanting to be whiny, his death saddened me a lot,” says Astrid, head of the Fauves Sector.
Last Wednesday, this white tiger emblematic of the Beauval zoo, in Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher), aged 18, had to be euthanized by the veterinarians of the park in order to "shorten his suffering".
For five years, the blue-eyed animal, a white dress married with black spots, had been on anti-inflammatory treatment, suffering from severe osteoarthritis in the hips and spine.
His disappearance caused a lot of emotion among the staff of the largest zoo in France but also among visitors who were able to approach him.
The announcement of the news on Beauval's Facebook account drew more than 10,000 comments.
"He was magnificent and majestic", thus honors Catherine.
"RIP Sherkan in tiger paradise", for her part, another Internet user.
"I loved coming to see you but the last time you were in such bad shape ... Letting you go is a beautiful proof of love", writes Christelle.
He came spontaneously to visitors
Born in 2002 at the Touroparc Zoo in Romanèche-Thorins (Saône-et-Loire), this handsome male, who weighed up to 250 kg, had landed in Loir-et-Cher three years later.
It was already Beauval who, in 1991, had welcomed the first white tiger to France from a farm in Florida in the United States at the time.
"This is what made us known", remembers Rodolphe Delord, the current owner.
Very quickly, Sherkan became the mascot of the house, the muse that is displayed in large on the advertisements to win over new customers who are fans of roaring.
Sherkan was Huan Huan and Yuan Zi - the panda couple who arrived from China in 2012 - ahead of their time.
“With his good build, his handsome presence, he had a very wild side, but at the same time, he came into contact with people behind the fences and the windows.
It didn't bother him even though there were people there.
Visitors could admire it up close, which contributed to its popularity, ”explains Astrid, one of her last guardian angels.
Almost all white tigers are descended from the same specimen, Mohan, captured in the 1950s. LP
Sherkan was a father a dozen times, heirs who were scattered in different zoos in France and abroad.
“He has always been gentle and patient with his young, which is quite rare in male tigers.
He was a good dad, ”praises the head caregiver.
At his best, he could eat "6-7 kg of chicken and 8 kg of beef" daily.
But lately, osteoarthritis has weakened him considerably.
“He was limping, his hind legs wobbled.
He spent a lot of time in the pool, it seemed to relieve him, it was good for his joints, like a kind of hydrotherapy, ”she says.
His state of health has constantly deteriorated despite the medication.
To avoid "therapeutic relentlessness", the decision was made to euthanize him.
"If he had been in nature, he would have died a long time ago," underlines Delphine Delord, deputy director of Beauval, who recalls that "the average longevity of a tiger is about 15 years" in the wild.
"Eighteen years for Sherkan is a very advanced age", specifies Astrid, the animal specialist.
White tigers not found in the wild
The white tiger, which is not a full-fledged tiger species or subspecies, owes its coat color to a genetic abnormality called leucistism, which is different from albinism.
It has stripes unlike its albino cousin.
In nature, its chances of survival are almost nil.
"He does not have a camouflage dress so, very visible, he is very quickly killed by predators", describes Rodolphe Delord, general manager of Beauval.
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For white tigers, unlike other animals in the zoo, there are therefore “no reintroduction programs”.
Its presence in the wild is only very rarely observed.
In the 1950s, a specimen named Mohan was captured in India, Bengal.
Then he passed on his genes during different matings that gave birth to young that grew up in zoo enclosures around the world.
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Many white tigers currently alive are said to be descended from this same male Mohan and therefore inherited a very similar genetic background.
Consequence: consanguinity in these felines is important, at the origin of a multitude of defects.
Many cubs do not survive birth.
Some manage to cope but have health problems, including strabismus problems.
The captive breeding of the white tiger has generated more and more controversy in recent years, pointed out by animal rights associations.
At the Beauval Zoo, it is assured that Sherkan's osteoarthritis is "linked to old age" and not to possible consanguinity.
On the other hand, the park is well aware of these "risks of inbreeding" and has decided, two years ago, not to "reproduce" its white tigers.
Today, there are four left, one male and three females who have been placed with a contraceptive implant.
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