Have you ever spotted a lion in white? Lyle McCabe, a wildlife photographer got that chance when visiting the famous Kruger National Park in South Africa.
And, McCabe took heart-warming photos of an incredibly rare white lion cub playing with its siblings. Noticeably, these are all tawny, like other animals of their species.
The baby lion is extremely rare. It has white fur and skin. Luckily, it is accepted by its family. You could see the animal happily huddling up around its mother and siblings.
Many people may think that the little white lion is an albino. But it isn’t. It has leucism that causes a partial loss of pigmentation, giving the animal completely white fur or feathers. But this genetic condition doesn’t affect the eyes of the affected animals.
The little white lion is stunning, right?
“I was absolutely mind blown with this sighting,” McCabe described the moment. “We had known the cubs had been born about a month before but as per company protocol we had moved away from the area for walking, tracking and driving off-road in order to ensure the safety of the animals.”
When McCabe returned home and showed those pictures to his family and friends, they couldn’t believe in their eyes, too.
“My family and friends have been overwhelmed by the sight,” he said.
However, there are some worries about the rare condition of the lion cub. Its white coat may make it face some big challenges in the future. The animal may face a higher risk of being spotted by predators. It may also be rejected by their own groups.
“We are all hopeful that all of the cubs will make it past the critical two-year mark which will increase their percentage of survival greatly,” McCabe said.
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H/T: Mail Online