Waiting hours for a glimpse at a White Lion

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White Lions are exceedingly rare and especially so in the wild. Several zoos, “safari parks” and circuses around the world house White Lions, but these are often horribly inbred. These lions are not albinos, instead being the result of a mating between two lions carrying a recessive gene for white (leucistic) fur instead of the usual tawny colouration. Naturally White Lions are only ever found, from time to time, in South Africa’s Lowveld, where the Kruger National Park and a few renowned private nature reserves are situated. As far as wild White Lions are concerned, at present, there are known to be two young white cubs in the same pride that roam around Orpen in western Kruger and the adjacent Timbavati reserve, and a single young male born to a pride near Satara and fairly wide-roaming since he and his brothers were ejected from their natal pride.

It is this latter individual that we came across on the 3rd of January 2020, the final full day of our Satara Summer. Having fairly often visited the Kruger National Park my entire life, it was always my, hitherto unfulfilled, wish to see a truly WILD White Lion, so you will appreciate just how excited we were at this opportunity! It was an exceedingly hot day, and on hot days lions are seldom very active. So we sat for hours in our vehicle in the blazing sun, waiting, hoping, that he might get up, and move around just a little, so that we can get more than just a glimpse. He obliged, for a minute or two only, to move from the large tree where he was lying with his three brothers to a smaller shrub a few meters away. That was it. He didn’t move again until we had to leave to get back to camp before the gates closed. But we were thrilled and grateful for the chance to see such an enigmatic animal.

On arriving at the scene, the White Lion is peeking at us from behind the tree
The four lions doing what lions do best
Finally, the White Lion gets up and stretches
He decides he doesn’t like his brothers in his personal space
White Lion
White Lion
White Lion (photo by Joubert)
and moves to a smaller shrub
where he drops like a sack of potatoes in the shade once again
The first of his brothers walking over the clearing to join him
A Giraffe watching the lazy lions from a safe distance
A jackal and hooded vulture moving in for a closer look
The next brother rises and moves towards his white sibling
Snarling Lion (photo by Joubert)
Tawny Lion
Joining his white brother in a shady spot
And finally the last male gives in to peer pressure…
Two elephants passing the scene
Our final view of the lions as we depart for camp

While they can not be considered wild, there is a pride of White Lions on view at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg.

White Lions at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
White Lion at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
White Lion at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserv

27 thoughts on “Waiting hours for a glimpse at a White Lion”

  1. Pingback: Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve | de Wets Wild

    1. DeWetsWild's avatarde Wets Wild Post author

      I’m very glad that he’s got three strong brothers with him, as life can be very tough for a lone disperser. These four are often seen feeding on buffalo and giraffe, so they have their act together and will hopefully one day rule over a sizable pride.

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      2. DeWetsWild's avatarde Wets Wild Post author

        It is not unheard of in Kruger, Carol – we once encountered a group of 5 huge males with their lionesses near Biyamiti, and I’ve seen photos of a coalition of 6 males from the Crocodile Bridge area!

  3. aj vosse's avataraj vosse

    Truly blessed – the de Wet’s! I’m wondering… has Joubert started his YouTube channel yet? Also, does it look like the white lion has much less mane than his brothers?

    Reply ↓
    1. DeWetsWild's avatarde Wets Wild Post author

      Blessed we are indeed, thanks AJ.
      YouTube channel? Nope! Joubert likes being outdoors much more than being in front of a computer. 🙂
      Only one of the three tawny males are from the same litter as the White male, the other two with the more impressive manes are half-brothers, at least 6 months older than him. Soon he’s going to sport a very impressive mane and I hope we’ll see him again then!

      Reply ↓
      1. aj vosse's avataraj vosse

        OK… thanks for explaining the difference! Would love to see his future hairstyle!
        Tell you what … as I’ve said before… Joubert is gonna be a big wildlife photographer… it runs in the family! The thing is… if he begins doing video early and sharing them on social media he will have a massive head-start over his peers!
        So… why not put himself through uni with his YouTube earnings? 🤔😃 Dit sal baie ligter wees op pa en ma se sakke!! 🤣🤣

    1. DeWetsWild's avatarde Wets Wild Post author

      Very, very rare sight in the wild, Tracy. I trust that the two in the zoo in Canberra are well cared for and in good health and that everyone who sees them appreciate just how special they are.

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  10. anne leueen's avataranne leueen

    Very interesting. I did not know this about white lions. Thank you for waiting in the sun, getting these photos and sharing them with us. What a beautiful creature he is.

    Reply ↓
  11. H.J. for avian101's avatarH.J. for avian101

    That’s something I’ve never seen before! It’s great that you could photograph this rarity. Good job. D. 🙂

    Reply ↓

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