A litter of adorable (and extremely rare), white lion cubs have been born in a zoo and subsequently gone viral on social media this week.
Per a recent report by tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail, the four male snow-white cats were born at the Nantong Forest Safari Park in the eastern-central coastal province of Jiangsu in the People's Republic of China.
Take a look at this incredible video on the German Shepherd dog who managed to raise these lion cubs
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Per The Mail, the white fur which the young cubs boast is apparently caused by a recessive genetic mutation. The precocious little lions are apparently due to meet tourists for the first time this Saturday.
The safari park previously welcomed another set of white lion cubs back in May of 2020, with that litter consisting of three female lion cubs and one male.
A number of pictures of the young cats have since been uploaded to Twitter, displaying their beautiful white coats and grey eyes.
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Per The Mail, the lion quadruplets have been inspected by vets and deemed perfectly healthy. They are growing quickly and are being given round-the-clock care by Nantong Forest zookeepers.
In images that have been released to the public by the zoo, the four baby lions can be seen scampering around their enclosure, as well as enjoying a little bath, drinking water, and eating some mashed up meat.
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According to a study published in Open Science Repository Biology, the recessive genetic trait known as leucism is specific to the South African lion species and derived from a less-severe mutation in the same gene that causes albinism.
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Furthermore, they are currently classified under the "Panthera Leo" category of lion and do not constitute a distinct species. Indeed, the vast majority of white lions found worldwide have been bred in captivity.
According to The Mail, there are only 16 white lions recorded living in the wild today. However, their genetic mutation does not appear to give them any disadvantages when hunting in their natural habitat or affect their health in any other way.