A white lioness gave birth to five rare white lions cubs at a zoo in western France this week.
White lions come from Greater Timbavati region in South Africa, the only place where they can be found in the wild.
Most people think they are albino, but their ivory coat and blue green eyes are the result of a genetic mutation in a certain subspecies. The gene is a recessive trait, so two tawny lions can give birth to white offspring.
Sadly, very few are left in the wild today and most exist in zoos and tourist destinations: as petting attractions when they are younger, and as hunters’ bounty when they are older.
A few non-profits are trying to expand their wild population and remove them from these tourist attractions, where they are killed in small enclosures in a practice called “canned hunting.”
