Rare white lion was born in America

Their parents are normal, but the small lion born at the Texas Zoo has a rare white coat due to the recessive gene.

According to National Geographic, the lion was born on July 15 at Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas.

"They told me it had white fur," said zoo director Gorden Henley. " At first I didn't believe it, but it was true white."

The newborn lion is the second child of Adia, an African female lion. Celia Falzone, the zoo's custodian, said the lion's parents are all in normal color, and the recessive gene is the factor that makes newborn lions white. The light-colored lion is a natural mutation, so there are white but extremely rare lions in the wild.

The white baby lion was born in the American zoo.(Photo: Trout Ellen).

The first wild white lion was discovered in 1938, but it was not until 1970 that it was officially recorded. Today, there are about 13 white lions living in the wild environment of South Africa. It is estimated that there are about 300 white lions in the world living in captivity.

Trout Zoo Ellen is limiting human contact with lions and has no plans to introduce young lions to the public.

Adia cannot take care of Sango, the first child, because it is distracted by the surrounding environment and does not produce enough milk. The zoo's vet is away, so the sex of the lion is not yet known. They will name the lion after knowing its gender.

A few years ago, there was a white lion born in this zoo, but after 6 months, his coat color returned to normal. It is unclear whether the newborn lion maintains the white coat.

"We will introduce the baby lion when it is ready," said the zoo director.