A white fur and a pair of blue eyes make these majestic creatures a rarity. However, decades after white lions have been first spotted, there are only 13 left in the wild and less than 100 in captivity. The first sight of a white lion dates back to 1938 in the region of Timbavati, South Africa. Now, this still remains the only place in the world where white lions live in the wild
Given their so rare and highly elusive as well, white lions are a very uncommon sight in the wild, with only a few lucky photographers being able to capture them on camera. Among them, Scott Ramsay – a 39-year-old Cape Town-based photographer who not only snap some some extremely rare photos of these magical creatures, but he’s the first person to ever take photos of new born white lions.
“They are possibly one of the most hypnotic African creatures I have photographed,” Scott told BarCroft Media. “One of the white lionesses has piercing blue eyes, and together with her white coat, she was supremely photogenic.”
Unlikely albino lions, the Tawny lions, how they’re also known, have a rare genetic condition. Due to it they have blue or green eyes, instead of brown. However, their coat and paws as well as the skin are completely white, just like at the albino animals.
According to the indigenous Shangaan people, white lions are animal angels and they are the first creatures the gods created on Earth.
With such a extremely small population, the birth of three white lion cubs is an amazing thing for the conservation of this sub-species. The mother of the cubs, was brought in the region 16 years ago through a conservation program backed by Global White Lion Protection Trust.
“The birth of these second generation white cubs to a wild white lioness in Timbavati is fantastic news and brings huge hope for the future survival of white lions,” Linda Tucker the fonder of the Global White Lion Protection Trust said. “The mother of the cubs and her sister survived against all odds, surviving on their own as subadults after their pride was taken over by rival male lions that displaced them from their pride and surviving despite the ongoing commercial lion trophy hunting that takes place in this region of their birth.”
“The survival of these cubs and the future of white lions in the wild is in jeopardy if lion trophy hunting of pride males continues,” Linda also said. ”
(h/t: barcroft | mailonline)