White Lions – Panthera Leo Krugeri – The same subspecies as the South-East African Lion, otherwise known as the tawny lion, carries a recessive gene which is responsible for the lack of pigment.

White lions are not albinos, but they are Leucistic. The difference between Leucism and Albinism is that with Leucism you have a reduction in multiple types of pigments not just Melanin. Some people refer to them as “True Blondes”.

In Nature White Lions were first observed in the Timbavati region of South East Africa close to the Kruger park. They have the most striking pale bluish eyes.

White Lions are a rare find and prized for their features they were removed and put into zoos and circuses around the globe. They were put into caged Breeding and hunting facilities.

No white Lions were found in their original territory after 1994. Slowly but surely with the re-introduction efforts of the White Lion Trust, the White Lion once again roams the Savanna lands of the Timbavati.