Captive white tiger desperate for human company

I interpret this captive white tiger’s behaviour as indicating that he/she is desperate for company and specifically human company. This is probably a tame tiger. Perhaps she was raised in captivity. However, it is clear that she is alone far too much. Having experienced human company she expects it and even depends on it. That’s my view on this. She wants to taste the person’s hand. And she rubs her head against the glass. This action was clearly intended to be against the visitor’s head or hand. This is the classic friendly feline behavior we experience with our domestic cat companions.

Big Kitty from r/aww

I have experienced this sort of feline behavior myself on a cat breeding ‘farm’ in Oklahoma. I entered the enclosure of a 4th filial black Savannah cat. He was slightly wild but desperate for human company. He licked my trousers endlessly until they were wet. He just wanted company. I felt sorry for him and stayed quite
a long time. The female with him had a head tilt due vestibular disease (inner ear condition). For me that was cruel. Cruel to keep cats in small enclosures all their lives just to make them breed. He was a beautiful cat.

This is the cat I am referring to:

Melanistic Savannah cat. Photo: Michael

P.S. White tigers are often abused because they are so popular. They are all offspring of one male white tiger from India. Yep all of them and they are all in zoos. Because the gene pool is so small there is inbreeding and deformities sometimes. We don’t see these tigers normally. They are possible killed as they are not attractive and the whole damn purpose for the existence of white tigers in zoos is to attract paying customers. And they want to see them because they look glamorous. The backstory is very unglamorous.