White lion
Thewhite lionis a rare colourmutationof thelion,specifically theSouthern African lion.[1]White lions in the area ofTimbavatiare thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest recorded sighting in this region was in 1938. White lions first became known to the English-speaking world in 1977 through the bookThe White Lions of Timbavati.[2]
Description[edit]
White lions are notalbinos.Their white color is calledleucism,and is caused by anallelethat is found at the samegeneticsas the allele that causes albinism. It is thought, but not proven, that the allele is inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion.[3]They vary from blonde to near-white. This coloration does not appear to pose a disadvantage to their survival.[4]White lions were considered to have been technically extinct in the wild between 1992 and 2004, when theGlobal White Lion Protection Trustachieved the first successful reintroduction of white lions to their natural habitat.[5]These prides have continued to hunt and breed successfully in the wild, whilst other occurrences of white lion births have been reported in the greaterKrugerregion since then.[5]
Breeding and genetics[edit]
Inbreeding can cause severe problems reproductively, even causingArnold-Chiari malformation.This causes problems in the brain/skull and the spinal cord, more commonly in humans and dogs.[6]However, ethical reintroduction programs such as The Global White Lion Protection Trust have sought to release captive white lions in to the wild.[7]
White lions in captivity[edit]
- A white lion breeding program has been established atInkwenkwezi Private Game Reservein South Africa's Eastern Cape province.[8]
- In the 1990s, four white lion cubs were born at thePapanack Park Zoooutside Ottawa. In 2016, a white lion named "Zeus"escaped from captivity, and was shot by zoo officials, due to the threat he posed to the public.[9]
- In March 2017, an attempt to smuggle white lions fromAfghanistantoPakistanwas quashed. The origin of the lions was unclear at first,[10]before Border Police Commander-General Ne'matullah Haidari[a]said that they wereAfrican.In April 2017, four of the lions were taken toKabul Zoo,with the other two lions remaining inKandahar Province.[12]
Africa[edit]
Lory Park Zoo[edit]
Lory Park Zoois currently in possession of two adult white lions (Daniel and Heidi), who have produced eight cubs. A litter of three cubs was born in 2012 and all three were hand-reared. A second litter of five cubs was born in 2013; three were removed for their own well-being while the remaining two (a male, Gabriel, and a female, Gazelle) were left with the parents. Both cubs are still with the parents and have not been handled by humans. A male cub was traded for other animals in August 2013 and now lives at the Hodonin Zoo in the Czech Republic.[13]
Kruger and Umfolozi[edit]
In 1979, three litters containing white lions were recorded inKruger National Park.In March, a female lion with three white cubs was observed near Tshokwane. In September, three white cubs (from two different lionesses) were seen. Another litter of white female cubs was captured from Kruger National Park and treated for sarcopticmange.A white lion was observed in theHluhluwe-Umfolozi Game ReserveinZululand.[citation needed]
Rustenburg Wildlife Rehabilitation Center[edit]
In 2018,Mufasa,a three-year-old, was in the process of being sold in South Africa after he was taken from an owner illegally keeping him as a pet. An anonymous buyer wanted both Mufasa and a female lion named Soraya, intending to protect both. Over 280,000 signed a petition asking that Mufasa not be auctioned, fearing a buyer might just want the lion for hunting.[14]
Eurasia[edit]
TheEuropean Association of Zoos and Aquariaopposes the deliberate breeding of white lions.[15]
West Midland Safari Park[edit]
In 2004, four white lions arrived atWest Midland Safari Park,the only white lions in theUnited Kingdom.Mubuto, the male, and three lionesses (Marin, Natasha, and JoAnn; spellings undocumented) settled into the Kingdom of the White Lion exhibit at the park very well.
Newspapers and bloggers reported that the four cubs born at West Midland Safari Park, in 2008 had been sold to perform in a Japanese circus.[16][17][18]It is alleged that the lions were given to British businessman Jim Clubb, who runs Amazing Animals, which also goes by the name Heythrop Zoological Gardens, inChipping Norton,Oxfordshire.Theanimal rightsorganization Lion Aid, Ltd., quoted Mr. Clubb as saying, first, "No comment," then, "I've no idea if the West Midland Safari Park knew they were going to the circus, that's a matter for them."[17]Bob Lawrence, the Head Keeper ofWest Midland Safari Park,who appears often in theYouTubevideos raising the cubs, told theWorcester News,a local newspaper, that he "would never have supplied the four white lion cubs if he had known they would have ended up performing in a Japanese circus."[18]
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary[edit]
There are 2 white lions at the sanctuary on the Isle of Wight: a male called Casper and a female called Frosty. The 2 lions were brought to the sanctuary from the West Midlands Safari Park, to live out the rest of their lives.[19]They are not abreeding pair.[citation needed]
Jurques Zoo[edit]
In May 2007 four white lion cubs were born atJurquesZoo inFrance.The cubs consisted of one male and three females. However, they needed to be hand fed because their mother was not taking proper care of them, and they died a few weeks after their birth.[20]
Magan Zoo, Abony[edit]
A private zoo inAbony,Hungaryrecently acquired two white lion cubs, one male and one female lion.[citation needed]
Belgrade Zoo[edit]
Belgrade ZooinSerbiahas 12 white lions. In 2010 four were born by two female lions, each weighing about 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds).[21]Four additional white lions were born in April 2011.[22]One more cub was born in October 2013,[23]but died soon after.[24]
Pafos Zoo[edit]
PafosZoo, an Animal and Bird wildlife park inCyprus,received two seven-month-old white lion cubs, Zeus and Hera, in 2011. Eight years later, a white lion cub, Simba, was born to the pair.[25]
Tbilisi Zoo[edit]
In December 2013, four white lion cubs were born atTbilisi ZooinGeorgia.Cubs needed to be hand fed because their mother wasn't taking proper care of them. Another three cubs were born in May 2014.[citation needed]
Karachi Zoo[edit]
In 2012, theKarachi Zoo,Pakistan, purchased a juvenile male and juvenile female white lion. They have had 2 cubs.[citation needed]The male died in 2021.[26]
Bukit Gambang Safari Park, Malaysia[edit]
The first white lions introduced intoMalaysiawas in March 2013 when the Safari Park in Bukit Gambang Resort City (Pahang) opened its door to the public. With 2 males and 3 females, the first white lion was born in May 2014 and was named King.[27]
Wildlife Park of Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia[edit]
A couple of white lions named Zola and Zuri reside in theSunway Lagoon'sWildlife Park since April 2015.[28]
Singapore Night Safari[edit]
Singapore Night Safari, A subsidiary ofWildlife Reserves Singapore,recently[when?]acquired two white lions, a male and a female.[citation needed]
Taman Safari Indonesia[edit]
Taman Safari acquired six white lions fromCanadain 2018.[29]
Crimea Lion Park[edit]
A couple of white lions named Milady and Rocky were born at Taigan Lion Park in Crimea in March 2019.[30]
Americas[edit]
Toronto Zoo[edit]
In 2012,Toronto ZooinCanadareceived three white lions to their African zone[31]and replacing the single white lioness the zoo had since 1996.[32]In September 2015, four white lion cubs were born at the zoo.[33]
Cincinnati Zoo[edit]
In 1998,Cincinnati ZooinOhioreceived two white lions from Siegfried & Roy's White Lion exhibit.[34]Prosperity died on January 6, 2020, at the age of 22. Her female cub Gracious died at age 21 on March 3, 2022.[citation needed]
Reino Animal[edit]
Mexican zooReino Animal,located inOtumba, State of Mexico,also has a couple of white lions which can be seen at the"Safari Leones"(Lions' Safari).[35]
The Wild Animal Sanctuary[edit]
The Wild Animal Sanctuary,located inKeenesburg, Colorado,has at times had white lions rescued from various for-profit zoos or other exploitative situations. All animals at the sanctuary live out the remainder of their lives in large open-air enclosures free from further exploitation.[36]
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park[edit]
Lake Tobias Wildlife Park inHalifax, Pennsylvania,has two white lions residing with a tawny male African lion named Leo.[37]
Oceania[edit]
Kingdom of Zion[edit]
Kingdom of Zion, a private zoo inNew Zealand,possesses six male white lions and four female white lions.[citation needed]
Genetics[edit]
Genetically, the white lion is the samesubspeciesas thetawnySouth African lion(Panthera leo melanochaita), which is found in somewildlife reservesinSouth Africa,and inzoological parksaround theworld.White lions are not albinos, butleucistic.They havepigmentvisible in the eyes (which may be the normal hazel or golden color, blue-gray, or green-gray), paw pads and lips. Blue-eyed white lions exist and may be selectively bred. The leucistic trait is due to arecessivemutation in the gene forTyrosinase(TYR), an enzyme responsible for the production ofmelanins.[38]More severe mutations in the same gene have been found to cause albinism in many species, while another less severe mutation in the same gene is responsible for theChinchillacoloring trait seen in several mammals. Reduced pigment production decreases the deposition of pigment along the hair shaft, restricting it to the tips. The less pigment there is along the hair shaft, the paler the lion. As a result, "white" lions range from blonde to near-white. The males have pale manes and tail tips instead of the usual dark tawny or black. In 2013, the specific genetic marker that determines the unique coloration of white lions was identified, after a 7-year study led by the Global White Lion Protection Trust and partnering several different countries.[5]
In the wild within their natural endemic range[edit]
From the 1970s onwards, prized for their rarity, the white lions and many 'normal' coloured (tawny) lions carrying the white lion gene were removed from the wild and put into captive breeding and hunting programs and sent to zoos and circuses around the globe. No adult white lion had been seen in their natural habitat after 1992. The Global White Lion Protection Trust (WLT) therefore initiated a world-first re-establishment of white lions within their natural habitat in 2004, based on successful reintroduction techniques. The wild born offspring of rehabilitated white lions were integrated with resident wild tawny lions, and released through a soft release process. Three prides of white lions of high genetic integrity integrated with tawny lions have been successfully established, and are hunting self-sufficiently in their natural habitat, at a predation rate comparable to the wild tawny lions in the same habitat.[39][40]The genetic marker determining the white colouration was identified in a collaborative study with 5 other countries in October 2013,[38]and is being used to ensure genetic integrity and ultimately to determine the frequency of occurrence of the gene in the wild population.[citation needed]
The primary aim of the Global White Lion Protection Trust (WLT) is to harness the cultural importance of white lions to local indigenous communities,[41]to help protect the Kruger to Canyon (K2C) Biosphere and the greater lion population in this region. This approach is based on the international precedent of theKermode Bear(Ursus americanus kermodei) inBritish Columbia,whereby this rare, white variant of theAmerican black bear(Ursus americanus) has been declared a critically endangered subspecies due to its conservation and cultural value, such that the Kermode Bear is being used as a flagship species for protecting a 4000000 hectare wilderness area.[42]As with the Kermode Bear, by protecting the white lions, their entire population within their endemic area would be protected.[citation needed]
Subsequently, white cubs were born in theTimbavati Private Nature Reservein 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and in the Nwanetsi Area ofKruger National Parkin 2014 and 2015, confirming that white lions are a natural occurrence and the recessive gene is still present in the wild population.[43]
In light of the recent decision by South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) at CITES 2016, to continue to allow the hunting of captive bred lions ( "canned hunting" ), and the trade in lion bones from captive bred lions, the Global White Lion Protection Trust (WLT) asserts that the survival of lions in the Greater Kruger Park Region is likely to come under threat, and the white lion is the ideal capstone animal to help better protect all lions in the Greater Kruger Park Region.[citation needed]
As the proposed policy stands for the management of lions in South Africa,[44]the WLT asserts that the legalization of the lion bone trade will increase the supply and therefore demand of wild lion trophies and especially lion bones, increasing poaching and illegal hunting and threatening the future of wild lion populations in South Africa.[45]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Schofield, A. (2013).White Lion: Back to the Wild.BookBaby.ISBN978-0620570053.
- ^McBride, C. (1977).The White Lions of Timbavati.New York: Paddington Press.ISBN9780448226774.
- ^Kingdon, J.; Happold (2013).Mammals of Africa.Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 150.ISBN978-1-4081-8996-2.Retrieved2 June2023.
Melanistic forms of the Lion are extremely rare, but very pale ones are known from some regions, such as Kaokoland, SW Botswana, and the Pangani Valley in Tanzania. The 'white Lions' from Timbavati G.R., in the Limpopo Province of South Africa and from Kruger N.P. (McBride 1997), Robinson & de Vos 1982, Smuts 1982) are not albinos; the eyes retain the normal yellow pigment as opposed to the pink-red color observed in albinos (Cruckshank & Robinson 1997). These lions represent one of two possible mutations known as chinchilla or acromelanic albinism. Like albinism, these mutations arise from the same gene locus in the individual's chromosome. The white coat phenotype is likely inherited in an autosomal recessive manner (Cruckshank & Robinson 1997).
- ^Turner, Jason A.; Vasicek, Caroline A.; Somers, Michael J. (8 May 2015)."Effects of a colour variant on hunting ability: the white lion in South Africa".Open Science Repository Biology.Online (open–access): e45011830.doi:10.7392/openaccess.45011830.
- ^abc"Key White Lion Facts".Global White Lion Protection Trust.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^Scaglione, F. E.; et al. (2010). "Cranial Malformations in Related White Lions ( Panthera Leo Krugeri )".Veterinary Pathology.47(6): 1095–99.doi:10.1177/0300985810382518.PMID20826844.S2CID7843802.
- ^Sunquist, F.; Sunquist, M.; Whittaker, T. (2014).The Wild Cat Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Cats.University of Chicago Press. p. 12.ISBN978-0-226-78026-9.Retrieved2 June2023.
- ^"Safari by sea: A South Africa cruise opens portals to an exotic land".BostonGlobe.6 February 2020.Retrieved2 June2023.
- ^"The fight over Papanack Zoo".Ottawa Magazine.21 July 2017.Retrieved2 June2023.
- ^Pajhwok 2017.Bid to smuggle 6 white lions to Pakistan frustrated.Pajwhwok Afghan News
- ^Nasr, Seyyed Hossein."Ali".Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on 18 October 2007.Retrieved12 October2007.
- ^Tolonews 2017.Border Police Seize Six Lions At Spin Boldak CrossingTolonews
- ^"Zoo acquires rare white lion".Prague Monitor.Archived fromthe originalon 10 November 2013.
- ^Thom, Liezl (21 November 2018)."Rare white lion in South Africa named Mufasa may be saved by 'mystery donor'".ABC News.Retrieved17 January2019.
- ^Barkham, Patrick (11 June 2013)."White lion breeding at UK wildlife parks linked to 'canned hunting'".The Guardian.Retrieved30 November2019.
- ^Captive Animals Protection Society(23 November 2012)."Exposed: UK Zoo is Source of Inbred Lions used in Japanese Circus".Retrieved6 January2013.
- ^ab"West Midland Safari Park and the Japanese Kinoshita Circus - strange bedfellows?".LionAid.org. 27 November 2012.Retrieved6 January2013.
- ^abKat, Pieter (2 December 2012)."White lions, West Midland Safari Park and the Kinoshita Circus in Japan".LionAid.org.Retrieved6 January2013.
- ^"Feed the lions in our beach sanctuary Sandown Isle of Wight".Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, Isle of Wight.Retrieved16 December2023.
- ^Tagliabue, John (5 June 2007)."France: Rare White Lion Cubs Die at Zoo".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved16 December2023.
- ^Принове у београдском Зоо врту(tr. "New additions to the Belgrade Zoo") PTC, 14 August 2010
- ^Bela lavica Maša omacila četiri prinove(tr. "White lioness Masha produced four offspring") Blic Online, 21 April 2011
- ^Hear this adorable white lion cub test her voiceToday, 5 October 2013
- ^InSerbia Team."White lion cub born in Belgrade Zoo died".InSerbia News.
- ^Solutions, BDigital Web."Paphos zoo unveils newborn white lion cub".knews.cy.Retrieved16 December2023.
- ^Ali, Imtiaz (24 November 2021)."Rare white lion dies at Karachi Zoo, Murtaza Wahab seeks report".DAWN.COM.Retrieved16 December2023.
- ^"Park offers prizes for guessing birthday of cub".The Star Online.4 December 2014.
- ^"Theme park introduces white lions to its Wildlife Park".The Star Online.2 April 2016.Retrieved18 April2016.
- ^"Six white lions introduced to Taman Safari on Imlek".
- ^"Rare white lions were born in Crimea | Animal Good News".animalgoodnews.28 July 2020.Retrieved17 August2020.
- ^"Toronto Zoo - Toronto Zoo - White Lions - New for 2012".
- ^Vidya Kauri (4 May 2012)."Toronto Zoo white lions go on display".National Post.
- ^"Move over panda cubs, we're cute, too, say Toronto Zoo white lion cubs".
- ^"White Lion (Panthera leo)".cincinnatizoo.org.Retrieved17 February2021.
- ^Reino Animal.Safari Leones.Retrieved on 10 August 2015
- ^"The Wild Animal Sanctuary | Keenesburg, CO | Rescue Stories".wildanimalsanctuary.Retrieved15 January2021.
- ^"Visit the Lion Exhibit in Central Pennsylvania".
- ^abYun Sung Cho et al. (2013). "The tiger genome and comparative analysis with lion and snow leopard genomes",Nature Communications4: 2433,doi:10.1038/ncomms3433
- ^Turner, J. A., Vasicek, C. A., & Somers, M. J. (2015). Effects of a colour variant on hunting ability: the white lion in South Africa. Open Science Repository Biology, Online(open-access), e45011830. doi:10.7392/openaccess.45011830
- ^Valeix, M. (2015).Review of "Effects of a colour variant on hunting ability - the white lions in South Africa"
- ^Tucker, Linda "Mystery of the White Lions - Children of the Sun God" 2003 Npenvu Press.ISBN0-620-31409-5
- ^Marshall, H. D. & K. Ritland. (2002). Genetic diversity and differentiation of Kermode bear populations. Molecular Ecology, 11: 685-697
- ^"White Lions - All the facts and questions answered".Global White Lion Protection Trust.Retrieved26 November2020.
- ^Funston, P.J., M. Levendal, & Department of Environmental Affairs. (2014).Draft Biodiversity Management Plan for the lion (Panthera leo) in South Africa.
- ^"SA Proposed Biodiversity Management Plan to put lions at greater risk".whitelions.org.22 May 2015.
Further reading[edit]
- McBride, Chris "The White Lions of Timbavati" 1977 E. Stanton.ISBN0-949997-32-3
- McBride, Chris "Operation White Lion" 1981St. Martin's Press.ISBN0-312-58680-9
External links[edit]
