Going on safari in Africa is an unforgettable, unique experience offering an exciting mix
of wildlife adventure, unusual cultural encounters and spectacular scenery!
Blink, and you could very well almost miss it.
The team is dispatched before dawn to follow a specific task- the capture of photographs
and videos of two rare white lion cubs who live predominantly on and off Ngala Private
Game Reserve.
Before we get into this, please let me share some Ngala history and some very important
statistics.
The guides are constantly asked how many white lions are left in the world.
There are many white lions being bred in captivity, but there are currently only 3 known to be
living freely in the wild.
And the breaking news is that two of these three free roaming wild white lions can now
be seen at Ngala private game reserve.
Ngala which rather aptly is the local Schengen word for lion.
And beyond Ngala is a 14,700-hectare, 36,500 acre, big five private game reserve that shares
unfenced borders with the Kruger national park and Timbavati Private game reserve.
You may have heard of the world-renowned white lions of Timbavati.
They were first officially discovered in 1938, although local African elders have Regal's
tales of their existence for centuries.
And this white gene pool is actually unique to the greater Timbavati in Southern Kruger
area.
Where Ngala is situated.
It is the only place in the world where white lions occur naturally, and their presence
has contributed significantly to the region's healthy biodiversity, the famous white lions
of Timbavati had long since disappeared from the area, seemingly never to return until
one year ago.
Back in March of last year, and beyond guide Lyle McCabe made an extraordinary discovery.
Ngala had a new addition.
Out of sensitivity for the fragile litter, the crew waited a few weeks before releasing
the ground-breaking news that a beautiful white lion Cub had made its first official
debut on and beyond Ngala.
The heart-warming photo of this precious new cargo, just a few days old being delicately
carried in the powerful jaws of its mother, captured by and beyond private guide, Darrell
Dell, immediately went viral and captured the hearts of wildlife lovers around the world.
This fragile new edition was one of four Cubs born to the Birmingham, female of the well-known
and well-documented Birmingham pride.
And although it wasn't officially announced at the time, another female within the same
pride also gave birth during the same approximate timeframe.
Astonishingly within her litter of just three Cubs, two were white.
Statistically the survival rate of lion Cubs, especially the white ones is rather grim,
only 50% of lion Cubs, even tawny ones survive their first year.
So when a new coalition of two healthy, strong, and previously unseen male lions, the Ross
males suddenly emerged from the north last year, everyone feared the worst.
fierce battles for pride dominance ensued between the then dominant males and the new
competing Ross males.
In the end, the Ross males were victorious.
The former leaders moved out and as is customary, when new males take over a pride, all of the
Birmingham prides Cubs, including the prized white trio were sadly killed by the new victors
in an effort to eliminate competition, and bolster their own gene pool.
So, what are white lions called?
This is another common question the guides get asked, and the answer is an important
one.
A white lion is not an albino lion.
This is a common misconception.
White lions are Leucistic, which means that a recessive gene mutation actually makes their
fur white, while their skin and eyes retain their natural pigment.
There is no specific name or classification for a white lion.
They are not a separate subspecies of lion.
They hold the exact same classification, Panthera Leo, as their tawny counterparts.
And together, these big cats remain listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list of threatened
species.
The reason why white lions are so incredibly rare is because the mating female and the
male must both possess the recessive gene in order to produce a white lion cub.
The likelihood of both lions having this gene is extremely uncommon, which is why these
pale-coloured lions are so special.
Although the unexpected birth of three white lion Cubs last year temporarily ended the
lengthy local extinction of these rare snow-coloured cats.
When the Cubs were killed in the dominance takeover, everyone assumed it would be another
few decades before we'd ever see this genetic mutation again.
When news of and beyond Ngala's fourth white lion Cub broke last November, it came as a
complete surprise to all of us.
As the Ross males took over the Birmingham pride.
They immediately began mating with the females, and the Birmingham female, once again, fell
pregnant.
This time, she gave birth to a four Cub litter and to everyone's great astonishment, one
of the Cubs is in fact white.
Now, approximately nine months old, this feisty little male white lion Cub was recently joined
by yet another gorgeous white lion Cub.
This won a female, born approximately three months ago to one of the other lionesses in
the Birmingham pride.
Of course, being a conservation company that is committed to the ongoing protection and
preservation of wildlife, the expert guides at here to the strictest and most sensitive
and responsible viewing practices in order to give these highly sought-after young Felines,
the best possible chance of survival.
Now back to the pre mission.
As the crew trundled along the dirt road in complete darkness, the cameraman Thomas Vanderspoy
casually claimed that they'd just driven right past the white lion cub.
Hesitant to actually believe him.
They eventually agreed to turn around, and prove whether or not his glimpse was in fact,
the holy white grail they'd been looking for.
Lo and behold Thomas' eyes certainly weren't playing tricks on him in the low light.
And there on the side of the road, densely snuggled, right in the middle of a cosy cuddle
huddle of lions, and Cubs was in fact, the nine-month-old white lion Cub, the sun hadn't
even risen yet.
So, they had the extraordinary opportunity to view the pride in complete silence without
any other vehicles or voices present.
In fact, seeing this rare new Cub and its younger sibling was a safari first for the
most seasoned of safari goers, take Dyke Khoza.
For instance, if you have visited and beyond Ngala, you will know that Dyke is an iconic
and longstanding member of the Ngala family.
“Ngala is my home.
I have been working in this private reserve for nearly 28 years”, he says beaming with
pride.
With nearly three decades of quality guiding under his belt.
Dyke had never seen a white lion in the wild until last year, when the first of Angola's
five white lion Cubs was revealed.
And now to be able to witness two of the world's three wild white lions playing together is
yet another safari first.
“I waited 28 years to witness”, this Dyke explains.
“But I always knew, I was in the right place”.
There was a palpable aura of sadness.
“When the new Cubs were killed last year.
When the three white lion Cubs were taken out by the Ross males, none of us thought
we'd ever see another white lion Cub again”, Dyke recalls.
All of the guides, trackers and inhabitants in the area are hoping that these two new
white lion cubs survive to adulthood and produce Cubs of their own one day which is very important
for our ecosystem.