Cuba's National Zoo in Havana has welcomed four Bengal tiger cubs — and one of them is white, a rare genetic variation that makes the birth especially remarkable. According to The Guardian and Reuters, this is only the second time a white tiger has been born at this zoo.

Ángel Cordero, who has worked as a zookeeper at the facility for 44 years, says white tigers have been born there only once before — in March 2021, when a group of four cubs also included a white tiger. Another cub arrived in July 2022. This means the zoo has had three major Bengal tiger birth events in just five years. Reuters called the white cub's arrival a significant achievement for the zoo.

But there is a larger challenge facing the facility. The zoo covers 375 hectares — imagine 926 acres of land — and feeding the animals requires serious resources. Zoo director Juan Carlos Santos told Reuters that workers need 20 liters of diesel fuel each day to run vehicles that carry food and supplies across the grounds. Right now, they get only 5 liters. That means the zoo is operating at one quarter of the fuel it actually needs.

This fuel shortage is part of a much bigger problem. Cuba has been struggling with severe energy shortages for years. Blackouts happen regularly across the island, and fuel is tightly rationed to hospitals, schools, and other essential services. For a zoo, fuel matters greatly — it powers the refrigerators that keep food fresh, the equipment used to prepare meals, and the vehicles that distribute everything to animals spread across such a large area. The zoo director says the animal population is stable, but when fuel is cut so drastically, questions arise: Are the animals eating well? Can the veterinary staff respond quickly to health problems? Can the workers keep up with daily care?

Now, about white tigers. They are not a different species — they are regular Bengal tigers with a rare genetic makeup. A white tiger has two copies of a gene that removes the orange color, leaving white fur with dark stripes instead. This almost never happens in the wild anymore. The last time a white tiger was spotted in nature was 1958 in India. The white tigers alive today all come from one wild tiger named Mohan, captured in India in 1951. When zoos breed white tigers, they have to breed closely related animals, which can cause health problems. For these reasons, many major zoos have stopped breeding white tigers altogether.

Cuba's zoo does not have the same connections to international breeding programs as larger, wealthier zoos do. This means it works more independently — which can be both a limitation and a reason the zoo's achievements feel significant.

What matters most right now is that the zoo's staff has kept these animals alive and healthy during an energy crisis. Cordero's four decades of experience and the director's honest account of the fuel problem show a team working hard within tight constraints. The cubs are here. Whether the zoo can sustain this success depends on whether Cuba's energy situation improves in the coming months.