White Lions

The myth of the White Lions has been prevalent in the African folklore for centuries. As per the legend, the white lions would be born every 100 years bringing joy and happiness to all who witnessed them. All of a sudden, two white lion cubs in a litter of three were found in 1975 and in 1976 another cub was found close by in Timbavati. The white lions are rarer than the snow leopards of the Himalayas and the only place where have materialized after centuries in the Timbavati region which is on the border of the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Timbavati is a 200 square mile area that is present in the Lowveld of Northern Province in Africa, about 350 miles north east of Johannesburg. The most distinct feature of Timbatvati is that humans have not impacted it in anyway since the beginning of time.

The Three Cubs

The three cubs that were found in 1975 were named "Temba’ which means hope in Zulu, the girl cub was named ‘Tombi’ and the normal tawny colored male cub was named ‘Vela’ which means surprise in Zulu. Although, Vela looked like a normal lion, it was heterozygous meaning that he also carried the white genes. The cub found in 1976 was named ‘Phuma’ which meant ‘out of the ordinary’ in Zulu. Unfortunately, Phuma did not survive which made the conversationalists very concerned about Temba and Tombi’s survival.

Forced Captivity

As the white lions were very rare, they are removed from their natural habitat into captive breeding programs in South Africa and were kept on Zoos or circuses. This was done with the intention of saving the white lions from being hunted down and then ultimately, extinction. Sadly, all white lions today are being kept in captivity. They were forced away from their homelands and have been extinct in the wild for 12 years now.

Unfortunately, the interference of humans in the handling of white lions too is being questioned. In 2006, two tawny colored lions gave birth to two white lion cubs at a private sanctuary in the Timbavati Reserve but the cubs died in a couple of weeks and their death has been blamed to human interference.

White Lions Facts

The white Lions are currently classified as ‘Panthera Leo’ under the general species classification. This classification is likely to change after the genetic research can reveal the important reason for the sub-speciation of this rare phenotype. The genetic marker that makes a lion white has not been identified as yet.

The white lions are not albino as pigmentation is present which is apparent in the eyes, lips and paw pads. This condition is termed leucism wherein there is loss of pigmentation in the skin and fur with normal color in the eye which is present in the white lions. However, the mystery as to why this condition is seen only in the lions of the Timbavati area is still not resolved.

Further, it has been proposed that the white lions are scientifically inferior to ordinary tawny lions and also that white lions cannot survive in the wild as they lack camouflage. However, these theories have not been tested scientifically as yet.

White Lions and African Beliefs

The Africans have always turned to the nature for spiritual signs. The arrival of the white lions marked the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that identified these majestic creatures as messengers from God. Timbavati has been identified as a sacred site by the African kings fir centuries and the name of the place in the ancient Shangaan language means, ‘the place where the star lions came down from the heavens’. The Africans explain the mysterious white color of the lions as ‘purity and enlightenment’ in spiritual terms. To them the white lions represent pure sunlight, beyond all color, creed, gender or race. The white lions are a part of the magnificent icon for South Africa.

The Future of White Lions

The Global White Lion Protection Trust was founded by Linda Tucker in 2002 with the mission to protect the lions themselves and also to protect the indigenous knowledge that holds them sacred. You can visit their website and contribute if you desire.