There are some species that walk the Earth that are so rare, it’s almost a miracle when they’re born. Among one of those is the white African lion. It’s just not something you see every day.
There are believed to be only about 13 white lions in the wild today, but conservationists have kept some few hundreds of them in captivity to care for them and prevent them from being hunted or harmed in ways that could pose a risk to their existence.
Fortunately for several keepers at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, they were able to witness the birth of a rare white lion for the first time last Friday. This is the second time the mother, who goes by the name of Adia, has given birth to a cub; and notably, it’s in better shape than the first.
Image Credit: Ellen Trout Zoo
Zoo staff had reportedly waited 110 days throughout the pregnancy for the birth to official take place. The birth is the result of planned breeding.
The first cub Adia gave birth to about four years ago was named Sango. Unfortunately, Adia didn’t have the ability to produce milk for it, and it had to be hand-fed by the zoo staff. This time, zoo staff are hopeful that things will go a little more smoothly for the white lion, as things seem to be going better now than they did the first time.
Zoo staff are giving the mother her space so that she doesn’t get distracted and continues to take care of her cub without any problems.
“Since this is her first experience rearing the cub, zoo staffers have been careful around Adia to make sure she is not distracted from her maternal duties,” Zoo director Gordon Henley said. “Only time will tell, but everyone at the Ellen Trout Zoo is thrilled at the birth and are happy that mother and cub appear to be doing so well.”
It’s unknown if the cub will remain white throughout its entire life, but at this point in time, it has white lion features.
White lions differ from albino animals because rather than having pink or red pigment in their noses, they have black noses. They also feature blue or gold eye color, which wouldn’t be seen in an albino.