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.
While they can not be considered wild, there is a pride of White Lions on view at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg.
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Interesting series of pics. I always feel a bit sorry for dispersing young males. Must be easier to have a band of brothers to provide support.
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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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Gosh – they are successfully hunting sizable prey then. I wonder how common a coalition of as many as four brothers is.
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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!
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That is very interesting – sounds like they live a charmed existence!
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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?
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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!
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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!! 🤣🤣
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You are so lucky to have spotted him! A memorable day.
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Absolutely, Siobhan!
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Oh, how majestic he is! Your patience and fortitude was well rewarded. Love all of your photos, Dries. The giraffe is gorgeous too.
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Thank you, Sylvia, It really was one of our most memorable encounters in the wild ever!
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Hard to imagine the feeling when you finally saw him moving – fantastic. Wonderful that you posted the photos here! Thank you!
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I don’t think words can truly described how elated we were at seeing him, Ann-Christine.
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♥
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White lion. Never seen before. Thankyou
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Glad we could introduce you to these magnificent and very rare animals!
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And Kruger provided …
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in buckets full, Anne!
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How rare to see one in the wild!
We have two, a brother and sister, at our small Canberra zoo.
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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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I’ll have to take a visit there.
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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.
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For us it really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Anne, and we couldn’t let it slip through our fingers!
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That’s something I’ve never seen before! It’s great that you could photograph this rarity. Good job. D. 🙂
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Thank you, H.J. It’s an opportunity I waited my whole life for. Blessed to finally encounter a WILD white lion!
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