Four one-month-old rare white lions are set to make their first public debut this Saturday in a Chinese zoo. The extremely rare species of white lion were born on November 6 in Nantong Forest Safari Park in eastern China.
The quadruplets-all four males- were recently clicked playing together and enjoying their meals. The four are being pampered by the zookeepers. In the pictures, we can see these cubs playing and eating together who are expected to meet the tourists this Saturday.
They can be seen smiling for the camera in some pictures and being satisfied with the pampering they are receiving. In the footage, the four curious cubs are seen roaming around together. The rare lions seem all excited and curious to explore the world around them and see the public for the very time as they are getting ready for the big day.
The quadruplets are said to be given round the clock proper care by the keepers and are said to be growing quickly and healthy. These lions are native to South Africa and there are less than 13 white lions left in the wild today and hundreds of them are in captivity, Global White Lion Protection Trust reports. Their unique white colour of fur is because of a recessive mutation. White lions are different than albinos and the coloration does not appear to pose a disadvantage to their survival. On Monday, they were bathed for the first time since they were born as they are expected to make their meet with tourists on December 26.
Listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, they are yet to be recognized as an individual species and are currently classified under the lion's category, Panthera Leo.In May, the zoo had welcomed another set of white lions in which three were females and one was male.