A zoo in Venezuela is celebrating a Christmas miracle after two endangered white lion cubs were born.
The Timbavati cubs arrived on November 26 at Maracay Delicias Zoo as part of the conservation and reproduction program and are under the supervision of the veterinary medical team.
Officials at the zoo announced a contest and have invited local residents to come up with names for both cubs.
The male cub will remain with his mother, while the female has been isolated and receiving assisted feeding.
Governor Joana Sánchez said that in the coming days, the public will be able to view them once they are certain their development is progressing well.
The Zoo’s President, Vanesa Rodríguez, also announced it started capturing photos and videos to document the development of the offspring and will share it with the public through its official channels.
The duo is the first pair of white lion cubs to be born since 2023, after Venezuela welcomed its first three white lion cubs born in captivity.
According to the Global White Lion Protection Trust, white lions are not albinos but a distinct genetic rarity found only in South Africa.
The coloration is caused by a recessive gene similar to what causes blue eyes in humans.
There are currently less than 200 white lions in the world but around only 10 in the wild in their endemic habitat.
