An ancient African myth tells of the once-in-a-hundred-year appearance of a regal white lion emerging from the bush, symbolizing the good to be found in all creatures.
Behold the myth. His name is Matunde (maw-TOON-dee), a descendant of a line of white lions from South Africa. The 2-year-old male and his tawny-colored brother, Zakera (zaw-KEAR-ah) are distinguished summer guests at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.
Matunde is not an albino (without pigmentation), but he and other white lions are leucistic. Their eyes are the normal yellowish-brown, not pink as are those of albinos. The white fur color is a result of a recessive gene, not unlike the white tigers of India that the zoo hosted four years ago. Though they are born as white as polar bears, white lions’ fur darkens to a pale cream color as they age.
White lions have no facial markings, no black “eyeliner” around their eyes and on their faces. There’s no tuft of black on their tails. In fact, they look much like celebrities who forgot to don their makeup.
Matunde’s mane hasn’t matured; it’s shorter than full-grown lions’ manes, and it’s just as pale in color as his body.
Their white presence at birth is why you’ll find no white lions in the wild. There’s no way a tawny-colored mom can camouflage her white babe from predators. And, since the cubs would have little chance of catching prey, they would most likely starve. Needless to say, poachers would have a field day.
Zakera, although tawny-colored, is actually a heterozygous lion, a normal animal that carries the recessive gene for white coloration. A heterozygous tawny lion can pass the white gene on to his offspring.
Rumors of white lion sightings began as early as 1928. Over the next 47 years, other sightings were reported. But in 1975, the myths, the rumors and the stories were confirmed. A white lion litter was seen at Timbavati Game Reserve, adjacent to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The lioness was protecting her 2-week-old cubs – one normally colored, one tawny, and two that were snow-white.
This family became the genetic keystone for much of the current worldwide captive white lion population. Even through controlled breeding at zoological reproduction centers, there are still fewer than 50 white lions on the planet.
Las Vegas magicians Siegfried and Roy engage in an animal breeding program, and in 1995 secured two white lions from the Johannesburg Zoo.
Matunde and Zakera are the first white lions to appear in Colorado. They will be on exhibit through Labor Day at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where they will be housed in a special outdoor exhibit located in Primate World. You’ll have a chance to view the brothers in their hillside habitat. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow for an expansive view, and, when the lions come down to the window, you’ll be nose-to-nose with this very rare, majestic creature.
Lillian Ross is a freelance writer who lives in Howard.
The details
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is about 75 miles south of Denver via Interstate 25. Take the south Nevada Avenue exit, drive south, then watch for the signs to the Broadmoor and zoo. Entrance fees are $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 kids; those 2 and younger are free. The zoo is open 365 days a year.
For more information, call 719-633-9925, or visit cmzoo.org.
