An extremely rare white lion cub – the first to be born in three years – has delighted tourists on safari in South Africa.
Two wildlife photographers were lucky enough to snap the four-day-old cub as it hid with its mother and siblings in a den at Kruger National Park.
Before other tourists on South African safaris flocked to see the lioness and her three cubs, Mike Sutherland, 30, managed to capture the first photo of the newborn.
The safari guide and photographer had been taking a group of guests on a tour from the Ngala Safari Lodge last Monday when he was told of the cub sighting and rushed to the national park to catch a glimpse of the new arrival.
Mike Sutherland, 30, managed to capture the first photo of the newborn in a den at Kruger National Park in South Africa
Daryl Dell, 40, said he would always cherish the moment he caught the tiny cub being carried by its mother in front of him
Due to viewing restrictions protecting the precious animals, he was only able to take photographs from 25 meters away.
Mr Sutherland, from Johannesburg, said: ‘As soon as we arrived at the den, we had an immediate flash of white.
‘There was a little cub of about four or five days old lying in front of its mother.
‘White lion cubs are an extremely rare thing to see, and given its age, we were in absolute awe.’
Another guide and photographer Daryl Dell, 40, said he would always cherish the moment he caught the tiny cub being carried by its mother in front of him.
He’s worked on safari for 15 years, sometimes waiting up to 17 hours a day for sightings of some of Africa’s most impressive animals, but claims this beat them all.
The extremely rare white lion cub – the first to be born in three years – has delighted tourists on safari in South Africa
White lions are classed as ‘critically endangered’ and in 2015 it was estimated there were only 13 left in the world
‘This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment – a moment that I will never forget and always cherish,’ he said.
‘We had heard there was a lioness at a den with a white cub so we decided to wait at the site to see what would happen in the hope of her moving the cubs.
‘It was towards the end of the morning, a time when the chance of hyena and other threats are minimal because of the heat. Luckily my guests were very patient.
‘As if it wasn’t enough for the lioness to carry one cub, she then carried this white one and then another.
‘We had planned to go out and find leopards and wild dogs. We never expected to see such a rare sight.’
Due to viewing restrictions protecting the precious animals, Mr Sutherland was only able to take photographs from 25m away
He had been taking a group of guests on a tour from the Ngala Safari Lodge when he was told of the cub sighting and rushed to the national park to catch a glimpse of the new arrival
The photographer snapped the four-day-old cub as it hid with its mother and siblings in a den at Kruger National Park
White lions are classed as ‘critically endangered’ and in 2015 it was estimated there were only 13 left in the world.
The last ones recorded were born in 2015 and it is believed one white lion male currently exists somewhere in the Kruger National Park but no recent information is available, according to Mr Sutherland.
‘These cubs seldom make it to adulthood,’ he said. ‘Being a white lion in the wild, you are born with a disadvantage as your coat doesn’t allow you to blend in as well as the normal, tawny-colored lion would.
‘This new cub is now the only one of its kind in Kruger and was born to two tawny-colored lions.’
The last white lion was born in 2015 and it is believed one white lion male currently exists somewhere in the Kruger National Park but no recent information is available, according to Mr Sutherland
Cubs of this color are produced when two tawny-colored lions mate and both carry the recessive ‘white’ gene
He said cubs of this color are produced when two tawny-coloured lions mate and both carry the recessive ‘white’ gene.
Mr Sutherland said he discovered the den on March 5 on the bank of the Timbavati River. He spotted the cub and its family from 25 meters away, off a dirt track, and had to get the shots from there due to strict regulations.
He said: ‘The image is special to me as they are the first record of this specific cub which is the first to be born in the area in many years.
Mr Sutherland said he discovered the den on March 5 on the bank of the Timbavati River. He spotted the cub and its family from 25 meters away, off a dirt track, and had to get the shots from there due to strict regulations
The white lion cub is seen sleeping with its tawny-colored sibling inside a den at the South African national park
‘The image also depicts its vulnerability from within the den. ‘Our goal for the safari was to explore areas that were known for good game viewing and to maximize any opportunity we were presented with.
‘We were fortunate enough to not only see these white lion cubs, but leopard cubs, multiple prides of lions, lions hunting, giraffes fighting, and elephants swimming. ‘I am hoping to continue my journey as a private safari guide and show people the rarities like this one.’
Mr Sutherland said: ‘The image is special to me as they are the first record of this specific cub which is the first to be born in the area in many years’
Daryl Dell (above) worked on safari for 15 years, sometimes waiting up to 17 hours a day for sightings of some of Africa’s most impressive animals, but claims this beat them all