|
ALBERT
AGAINST LION BREEDING
AND ECOLOGICAL RE-INTRODUCTION TOURISM
A CON-CONSERVATION CAUSE?
The Myth of the White Lion
WHITE LIONS - HISTORY & GENETICS
White lions are not albino (unpigmented) but are leucistic - leucism describes an effect rather than a particular gene. They have pigmentation which is visible in the eyes, paw pads and lips. Their eyes are usually the normal hazel or golden colour although some have blue, blue-green or greyish-green eyes. At birth the cubs are pure snowy white which gradually darkens to a pale cream colour known as blonde (another name for white lions is blonde lions). The mane and tail tuft remain a paler shade.
The leucistic trait is due to the 'chinchilla' mutation that inhibits the deposition of pigment along the hair shaft, restricting it to the tips. Although this colour inhibitor mutation originally occurred naturally in the wild and has cropped up several times due to hidden recessive genes, white lions lack the normal tawny camouflage needed for survival - this makes them visible to prey and reduces their effectiveness as predators. It is however also possible that the former range of lions may have included terrain where a blonde colour was advantageous.
In the past the first reaction to any unusual big cat was for hunters to shoot it for the trophy room, wiping them out from wild populations before the genes could be passed on. These colour mutations are now perpetuated in captivity for the sake of curiosity or aesthetics. Modern strains of white lions should be considered ‘man-made’ as much as any domestic cat breed.
There has been a recent trend in breeding pure white lions for zoo exhibits and animal acts. Though not as common as white tigers, white lions are now being found in more and more zoos. Their value as attractions may well send them down the same path as the white Bengal tiger: inbreeding and indiscriminate crossing with other subspecies e.g. to produce larger, showier manes for circus acts. Already they have been bred in bulk and used in canned hunts with no regard for animal welfare, conservation or ethics.
The White Lion Mythology
Oral traditions recalls the appearance of white lions over 400 years ago in the region now known as Timbavati. While accounts of white lions have been around for centuries, they were dismissed as superstition.
The Timbavati White Lions
The first authenticated sightings were in 1928. The first White Lion sighting by a European was in Timbavati in the early 1940s by Joyce Mostert, whose family owned large tracks of land in the area. During March 1959, twelve lions with 2 white cubs were seen near Tshokwane in the Kruger Park; though they were never seen again.
In 1975 a litter containing 2 white cubs was found at Timbavati (or Timberland) Game Reserve, adjacent to Kruger National Park. They were discovered by researcher Chris McBride, and their story is documented in the book 'The White Lions of Timbavati'. Mcbride realised that the white cubs were disadvantaged in the wild - they were highly visible to both prey and to predators. More than once, the white cubs were found in an emaciated condition and the researchers found it necessary to provide kills for them. The two cubs were a male and a female that they named Temba (Zulu for 'hope') and Tombi ('girl'). Their tawny brother was called Vela ('surprise').
With fears for their survival in the wild, primarily from hunters or poachers, McBride decided to capture Temba, Tombi and Vela (although tawny, Vela carried the gene for white). The cubs were taken to the National Zoo in Pretoria, South Africa where Temba produced several cubs before his death in 1996. In 1981, the white female produced a pure white cub which unfortunately died shortly after birth. Vela was sold and went to an unknown destination. Since the removal of Temba, Tombi and Vela, only a few wild white or pale cubs were recorded. One female lived for several years and was often seen hunting with her pride; she was killed in a territorial fight in 1993 and no white lions have been reported in the region since.
Many people believe the cubs should have been left to take their chances in the wild. The genes to produce white in lions are now believed lost in the wild population. White lions were never seen anywhere other than Timbavati Game Reserve and the white gene pool was almost definitely limited to this area.
Other White Lions
There is more than one genetic strain of white lion. In 1977, Johannesburg Zoo caught a heterozygous male apparently from a different pride to that studied by Chris McBride. This wild tawny male came from litter that contained a white lion. Johannesburg Zoo claims to be the first in the world to have bred white lions in captivity. Timba, a brown lion from the Timbavati game reserve, was shot and was taken to the zoo for medical treatment. He was believed to have the rare white gene and was bred to a captive female and later mated to one of his own daughters. His white daughter Bella was born in 1982 and she went on to produce many other white lion cubs. This bloodline is represented in many zoos across the world.
In 1979, several different litters containing white lions were recorded in the Kruger National Park. Also in 1979, a white lion was observed in the Umfolozi Game Reserve in Zululand.
WHITE LION REINTRODUCTIONS
The Sanbona Game Reserve White Lions
Dr Gaston Savoi, Co-Chairman of Mantis Collection, aims to return the white lion to the wild at the Sanbona Game Reserve. The project aims to integrate the white lion offspring with wild tawny lions to improve their genetic integrity.
In 2003, the reserve procured two white lions (of unknown genetic heritage), one male and one female, as the basis for an ambitious project - to re-establish the first wild, self sustaining white lions since their removal from the Timbavati region in the 1970s.
The female gave birth to 3 white cubs on May 18, 2004 while still acclimatising in a boma. They were released into the reserve 6 months later and by December 2004 they had made their first kill on their own. The three cubs (now sub-adults) have since been released into the main reserve, apparently with the other tawny lions, and the adult female has since given birth to a further 3 white lion cubs.
These lions have made their own kills in addition to apparently receiving supplementary feeding. However the release site, in the Western Cape, is far from their natural habitat in the dense bushveld region of the Greater Timbavati.
The project culminated in 2008 with the release of an integrated lion pride, including two adult males and two juvenile female white lions, into 40 000 hectares of wild land with herds of potential prey species.
The reserve is a private luxury safari camp offering tours for accomodated tourists. It is offered as part of the luxury 'Mantis Collection' and which also includes Shamwari Game Reserve - famous as home to rescued lions from the Born Free Foundation.
The Global White Lion Protection Trust Timbavati release
In 2003, the Global White Lion Protection Trust (WLT) initiated the first ever reintroduction of white lions to their natural endemic range - the Greater Timbavati region in South Africa. The long-term objective of the WLT is to restore the natural balance by reintroducing an integrated pride/s of white and tawny lions within their endemic range.
According to Jason Turner, who leads the “carefully monitored scientific long-term reintroduction of the white lions to their unique endemic range of the Greater Timbavati region”, the lions will be integrated with a tawny lion group to be released into the wild.
Since their release into the wild in 2006, the founding pride has apparently proven its ability to survive capably in free-roaming conditions. As of mid 2007 it was announced that the lions were ready for the next phase in the reintroduction project - integration with tawny lions. As far as we know however, the WLT has not yet introduced tawny lions into the project.
Whilst not a safari game reserve, the project is open to specialist private tours and runs an intern programme which allows undergraduates and trainee researchers assist with the programme - all for a price presumably.
Captive breeding of white lions
Many private lion breeders also use white lions. Many of these breeding facilities also claim to be part of 'rehabilitation' and 'reintorduction' projects. Often they also use paying conservation volunteers to assist and support their breeding projects.
We believe that in the absence of evidence for the end fates of these animals, the claims of all these breeders must be questioned. There are increasing numbers of white lions in private collections, as well as killed in canned hunts, and we believe these operators are supplying this demand and exploiting volunteers who are conned into believing that they are assisting legitimate conservation projects.
White lions are not a conservation issue. They are a man-made and perpetuated strain, and as such cannot be classified as endangered or in need or a reintroduction programme. Whilst it is admirable to 'rehabilitate' these animals where possible, it is preferable not to perpetuate them by inbreeding in the first place, and it is unlikely that these 'reintroductions' will ever succeed in releasing their lions beyond the private fenced borders of their game reserves.
White lions are a curiosity and of value to zoos, safari parks and game reserves, both inside and outside of South Africa, for one reason - they boost income generation. They are bred by unethical suppliers of the canned hunting industry for the same reason.
Parks with white lions
Seaview Lion Park
The Lion Park
Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
In 1999 the park discovered a white cub amongst its lions... see
Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve - White Lion
White lion links
Sanbona Game Reserve
Rare white lions successfully released into the wild (Oct 2008)
Comment - Sharon van Wyk - Irresponsible marketing and promotion costly to wildlife
Global White Lion Protection Trust
Kruger Park Times - White Lion Tourism Underway Despite Lack of Legal Compliance (date unknown)
Itinerary for private 'transformational' tours including the WLT project - which is not open to public)
| | |