“My guess is that they probably increased the frequency of that mutation either through selective breeding or inbreeding,” Amato said. We’ve seen naturally occurring mutations from time to time in the wild,” said George Amato, a conservation biologist and geneticist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.Īmato was not involved in the lion release.Īccording to the Project scientists, white lions were first spoted in the wild 400 years ago, then again in 1928, and then 50 years later a litter of two white cubs was documented at Timbvati Game Reserve in South Africa.Įven though white lions are rare in the wild, breeding programs, zoos and circuses have made more of them. “I think the white-lion mutation might have been observed in a wild population of lions in South Africa. Like most recessive genes, if an offspring gets two copies of that genetic mutation, the trait, such as blondness, will be expressed and show up. So cubs born to more tawny-colored lions could carry the recessive mutant gene (without showing a blond coat) and pass it on to future generations. Their blondish-white coloring is the result of a recessive mutant gene. The white lions, also called blond lions, are the same species as African lions (Panthera leo). The release is the culmination of a years-long White Lion Project, which was sponsored by the Shamwari Dubai World Africa Conservation team.
![white lion animal white lion animal](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wqF2RpZPpn8/mqdefault.jpg)
![white lion animal white lion animal](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/52/9f/ec/529fec27c3967597c5e8e0f2c358baf7.jpg)
A pride of white lions, including two adult males and two juvenile females, has been released into Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.