Seasoned photographer and master of animal portraits, Lynette Newell, recently had a very special (and rare) guest in her studio: a little white lion cub. While sharing a few images from the shoot with captions that urged viewers to “help protect our valuable wildlife”, Lennette also provided some interesting, yet important information, which has been summarized below:
Being the second largest cats in the world, lions are the only cats that live in groups (or “prides”). The white lion has been part of African folklore for thousands of years and were, according to legend, children of the Sun God, sent to the earth as gifts. Its pale fur is caused by a recessive trait derived from a mutation in the very same gene that causes albinism and has, because of its rarity, made it a valuable target for poachery. Sadly, but not surprising, this has caused the white lion to become endangered. As if this wasn’t enough, the general population of African lions has also been reduced to half(!) of what it was in the 1950’s.
Learning about the problem is an important first step towards solving it. More information and images from Lennette Newell can be found through her official homepage and Instagram.
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