Her people approached, they found it to be a shining ball of metal,īrighter than the sun. Shining star was seen to fall to the ground, but when Queen Numbi and Oral traditions recalls the appearance of white lions over 400 years agoĭuring the reign of Queen Numbi in the region now known as Timbavati. It has been part of African folklore since prehistoric times and according to legend white lions were children of the Sun God, sent to earth as gifts. White Lions 2: White Lions in Captivity TodayĪccounts of white lions have been around for centuries in Africa, but have often been dismissed as superstition. White lions may be found in Linda Tucker's book "Mystery of the White More detailed information on the history and ecology of Thanks are also due to KevinĬhambers of the Zoological Animal Reproduction Center for further Providing and correcting extensive material, genealogies, historical andĬurrent information about white lions. I am grateful to Paul McCarthy and others for researching, Colour mutations that wouldĭisadvantage a wild big cat are now perpetuated in captivity for the In the past, the obvious reaction to any unusual bigĬat was to shoot it for the trophy room.
White lions, also known as blond lions, are notĪlbino, but are leucistic and are uncommon in the wild as they lack Common mutations in big cats are albinism (pure white),Ĭhinchilla (white with pale markings), leucism (partial albinism/cream)Īnd melanism (black). Mutants are natural variations that occur due to spontaneous geneticĬhanges or the expression of recessive (hidden) genes through WHITE LIONS - MYTHOLOGY, HISTORY & GENETICS