Jan Quist - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual lions
If you love baby animals and could use a mood booster, some big news recently occurred in the animal world that is just as exciting as it is adorable.
Last month, a zoo in Venezuela welcomed three adorable white lion cubs who were born in captivity, which has caused a lot of exciting buzz among animal lovers worldwide.
Have you ever seen pictures of a white lion? It wouldn’t be unusual if you hadn’t, as these lions are a very genetically rare animal, and there are only around a dozen left in their original habitat and an estimated 200 left in the world.
White lions are not considered albino, but their stunning white color is due to a rare genetic color mutation.
They are unique to a region in South Africa, and it’s been estimated that less than 13 white lions remain in their native habitat.
However, several zoos and conservation centers have been working to breed white lions and increase their small population in captivity to ensure the gorgeous animal does not go extinct.
In early December, three adorable white lion cubs were born at the Las Delicias Zoo in Maracay, Venezuela. They were the first white lions to be born in Venezuela, and there are two males and one female.
The cubs were born to Camatagua and Sebastian, two white lions that were transported from the Hodonin Zoo in the Czech Republic as part of a strategic breeding program.
Because there’s a risk of mother lionesses harming or even killing their cubs after giving birth in captivity, professional handlers and zoo keepers were assigned to hand-raise the cubs.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
1 of 2 Next
