Rare White Lion at Risk of Being Sold and Shot by Hunters: Reports

Four white lion cubs, born two weeks ago, are seen in a basket at the Taigan Safari Park, in Belogorsk, about 50 km (31 miles) east of Simferopol, Crimea, Wednesday, July 29, 2015. The newly born white lion cubs were shown to the media for the first time Wednesday. AP Photo/Alexander Polegenko

A South African wildlife sanctuary says it is prepared to take legal action against the government over custody of a rare white lion—one of about dozen in the wild—over fears that it would be auctioned off and hunted.

The 3-year-old lion, named Mufasa, is being held at the Rustenburg Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa, known as Wild for Life.