A remarkable family of nearly extinct big cats has been unveiled to the world for the first time at Magdeburg Zoo in Germany.
The eight-week-old white lion cubs are captured in stunning photographs, frolicking and snuggling up to their parents, Kiara and Madiba.
Watch the video at the end.
These seven-week-old cubs, consisting of three males and one female, were born on Christmas day at Magdeburg Zoo in Germany and now weigh between eight and 11 kilograms each.
Born with a recessive gene causing their light coloring, these lions are found in only one place on Earth—the Greater Timbavati region in South Africa, where only a handful remain due to poaching.
Kiara and Madiba welcomed two sets of offspring last year, including two other cubs born in April.
These magnificent big cats, with their blue or green-grey eyes and white pelts, owe their appearance to the leucism pigment gene.
White lions have been part of the Timbavati area’s oral history for centuries. However, they gained international attention in 1977 when featured in naturalist Chris McBride’s book, “The White Lions of the Timbavati.”
In these heartwarming images, one of the seven-week-old cubs plays affectionately with its mother, Kiara. At the same time, another nestles into its father, Madiba’s, mane as he overlooks their enclosure at the German zoo.
