White lions do not belong to a separate subspecies. Their specific coloration is associated with a genetic disease – leukemia, which causes a lighter color, which in ordinary lions, the color of the coat. This manifestation is in fact the opposite of melanism, which is the cause of the appearance of black panthers. But you should know that white lions are not albinos. They have normal pigmentation of the eyes and skin.
White Transvaal lions can sometimes be seen in the Kruger National Park and in the adjacent Timbavati Reserve in the east of South Africa. However, more often white lions can be found in captivity, where these animals are specially bred. According to some reports, white lions were bred in South Africa for hunting.
Only at the end of the twentieth century was confirmed the existence of white lions. Prior to this, over the centuries, these creatures were considered the product of legends that traveled through South Africa.
For the first time, white lions were observed at the beginning of the twentieth century, but then there were practically no meetings with them. And only in 1975 in the Timbavati reserve young lion cubs were discovered.
