New Delhi: It was a moment of surprise for the officials at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, when a normal colored African lion couple gave birth to an extremely rare white cub on July 15.
The zoo officials were closely observing mother Adia for the past 110 days and discovered the infant cub on Friday at about 3:30 PM. Celia Falzone, the zoo curator suggests that due to the presence of recessive gene, the cub's fur turned stark white.
The newborn is the second offspring of Adia and both of them are in good health, according to a post on Ellen zoo's Facebook page.
The cub was born through the recommended breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Lion Species Survival Plan for the zoo’s lion pair. The plan is designed to ensure the sustainability of captive zoo populations of animals while maintaining the desired level of genetic variability within the species, as per the Lufkin News reports.
This rare birth is first of its kind in East Texas and only a second in United States.
East Texas Zoo Touts Birth Of Rare White Lion Cub https://t.co/bBWwJL5TOr pic.twitter.com/ViqGCV6CJf
— KTXT:The Raider 88.1 (@TheRaider881) July 21, 2016
