The White Lions of Timbivati (a private game reserve adjoining the Kruger National Park Game Reserve in South Africa) were first seen in 1975 and a book was written about them. They were first recorded as far back as 1928 but were not seen again until then. The local people hold them as sacred and when one is born in its natural habitat, foretells of great things to come.
They are not albinos as can be seen by the eyes which are a green/honey color, just slightly lighter than their tawny brothers. The coloration is caused by a recessive gene and white cubs can be born from normal tawny parents and then for generations will not appear again. The reverse is also possible with a white female giving birth to tawny cubs. This gene can be separated and used in breeding programs and is done by many private game farms however, this leads to inbreeding and causes physical defects mostly noticeable in the eyes which droop or are crossed.
The picture below shows clearly how different they are in color, with a white female in the foreground and a white male inbetween his tawny brothers behind. Besides the difference in eye color, the tawny lion has a black-tipped tail whereas the white lion has a white bush at the end of it. There is also a difference in color in the pad of the feet and the lips.
They are not albinos as can be seen by the eyes which are a green/honey color, just slightly lighter than their tawny brothers. The coloration is caused by a recessive gene and white cubs can be born from normal tawny parents and then for generations will not appear again. The reverse is also possible with a white female giving birth to tawny cubs. This gene can be separated and used in breeding programs and is done by many private game farms however, this leads to inbreeding and causes physical defects mostly noticeable in the eyes which droop or are crossed.
