The big cat who likes getting wet and wild

Six years old, and at the prime of his life, white Bengal tiger Odin lives at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo in Vallejo, near San Francisco. He is about 10ft long from nose to tail, and is an excellent swimmer.

White tigers - the colour is caused by an unusual genetic combination - are rare in the wild, although there are several dozen in zoos.



Odin was hand-raised at the zoo. And after he was weaned, his British trainer Lee Munro discovered his remarkable skill: when a lump of meat was thrown into a pool of water, Odin would happily dive in after it.

Odin can now be observed in action - a large pool with glass walls has been constructed at the zoo to allow visitors to watch him gliding through the water with all the grace of a polar bear.

With more photos and great video.