Advertisement

zoo

Eight wriggly white lions and tigers greet world

Author thumbnail
Eight wriggly white lions and tigers greet world
Photo: DPA

Zookeepers at a German wildlife park had their hands full when they decided to measure, weigh and vaccinate four baby white tigers and four baby white lions that had been born in the autumn.

Advertisement

"They were planning to vaccinate, worm and weigh them all, but they couldn't weigh the tigers in the end - they wouldn't stay still," Juliane Gunkel from the Hodenhagen Serengeti Park near Hannover, told The Local on Wednesday.

The tigers were about a month older than the lions and thus that much larger and more wriggly, she said.

Check out the wriggly lions and tigers here.

"There was quite a lot of fuss, they didn't like being handled, but the vet had to take a look at them - this was the first time they had been removed from their mothers since being born. The wriggling and fuss were great indicators though, it was all natural behaviour."

White tiger Bianca had her four babies in October. The three males have been named Snowy, Ice and Mohan, while the female bears the name Shiva.

White Lion Loona had her four babies at the end of November - two males called Lio and Thabo, and two females called Kim and Eva.

White tigers and lions are not albinos Gunkel said - they get their colouring from recessive genes much as red-haired people do.

The babies' arrival brought the number of white lions at the park to 11 and the number of white tigers to 10. They also have 17 normal lions and 13 normal tigers, but these groups currently have no young.

The Local/hc

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also