Adia, an African lion at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, has given birth to a rare white cub, the zoo announced on July 20.
The cub, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was born on Friday, July 15 at 3:30 p.m. and is Adia’s second, Ellen Trout Zoo said on its Facebook page.
This will be her first time rearing a cub, however, due to previous complications in her ability to feed her young.
“The first cub, Sango, had to be hand reared because Adia failed to produce milk. This time everything went well and mother and cub appear to be doing fine,” the post reads.
Adia’s primary caregivers had been tending to Adia for about 110 days until the arrival of her new born.
“However, it was a big surprise to see that the cub is white. Zoo Curator, Celia Falzone contacted the Lion Species Survival Plan (SSP) coordinator in an effort to determine the frequency of white lion births. According to SSP records, white cubs are uncommon in accredited zoos in the program.
“One born a couple of years ago reverted to normal coloration when it was about six months old, ” the posts reads, which has already accumulated more than 300 shares in less than four hours on July 20.
Since SSP knew of a cub who reverted back to its normal coloration, the Texas Zoo wonders if the cub will remain white, but “Only time will tell, ” the post reads.
Overall, those at the Ellen Trout Zoo are “thrilled at the birth” and are happy that both Adia and her new born are doing well.
