White Lion Cub - Hear her roar
October 5, 2013 10:01 AM Subscribe
Serbia’s Belgrade Zoo welcomed its newest — and perhaps most adorable — resident, a rare white lion cub, eight days ago. On Thursday, the press got a glimpse of the little pipsqueak (emphasis on squeak), who was born to parents Masha and Wambo.
The 2.8-pound cub is one of 11 white lions living at the Belgrade Zoo. Her birth is a special one as there are only an estimated 500 white lions living in captivity around the world, and the animal is all but extinct in the wild. A color mutation gave rise to their snowy coats, which are considered sacred among some South African tribes and highly sought after by hunters.
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion. The Global White Lion Trust estimates there are less than ten left in the wild. White lions in crisis - Statistics
The 2.8-pound cub is one of 11 white lions living at the Belgrade Zoo. Her birth is a special one as there are only an estimated 500 white lions living in captivity around the world, and the animal is all but extinct in the wild. A color mutation gave rise to their snowy coats, which are considered sacred among some South African tribes and highly sought after by hunters.
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion. The Global White Lion Trust estimates there are less than ten left in the wild. White lions in crisis - Statistics
My kitten was sleeping on the desk when I started playing this video. She woke up when she heard the little roars and watched with great interest.
posted by dlugoczaj at 10:28 AM on October 5, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by dlugoczaj at 10:28 AM on October 5, 2013 [9 favorites]
I like its color. I remember watching a carton when I was a child featuring a white lion as the main character.
posted by Ahmed_Nabil at 10:37 AM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Ahmed_Nabil at 10:37 AM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
From the article:
"Her birth is a special one as there are only an estimated 500 white lions living in captivity around the world, and the animal is all but extinct in the wild."
Are white lions a separate species? It says the color is produced by a mutation, but that doesn't qualify use of the word extinct, unless you're just talking about the gene.
"Only" an estimate 500 white lions? How many lions are being kept worldwide in total?
ROAR. ROAAAR!
posted by JHarris at 10:42 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Her birth is a special one as there are only an estimated 500 white lions living in captivity around the world, and the animal is all but extinct in the wild."
Are white lions a separate species? It says the color is produced by a mutation, but that doesn't qualify use of the word extinct, unless you're just talking about the gene.
"Only" an estimate 500 white lions? How many lions are being kept worldwide in total?
ROAR. ROAAAR!
posted by JHarris at 10:42 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
I have a love/hate relationship with zoos. On the one hand, I love seeing the animals. On the other hand, I always leave feeling somewhat terrible that they are stuck in enclosures on my account.
posted by jamincan at 10:51 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jamincan at 10:51 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
The pipsqueak's environment is so sterile. My heart breaks to see it rub against the wood in the walls, the only natural material in the enclosure.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:53 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by seawallrunner at 10:53 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am not an expert on this but it has always struck me that animals' needs not primarily freedom and to not be bored. WHile some zoos are better than others about ethical treatment, the concern that the animals need to be free seems like a lot of anthropomorphism and projection. "The wild" is not a friendly or safe place.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:00 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 11:00 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
My chihuahua is barking madly and running around the house looking for the source of the roars, probably due to some ancient instinct that tells her she would be a suitable lion-snack.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 11:01 AM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 11:01 AM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
Aww, so fluffy and chubby! It kinda sounds like a little raspy goat.
posted by Fig at 11:05 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Fig at 11:05 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
My kitten was somewhat alarmed, then unimpressed with the roars. Kittens these days are hard to impress.
I was a bit alarmed by the cub being left alone with Eeyore. That donkey is a depressive cynic, addicted to gambling and other antisocial behaviors, and should probably not be allowed to council the impressionable youth.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2013 [10 favorites]
I was a bit alarmed by the cub being left alone with Eeyore. That donkey is a depressive cynic, addicted to gambling and other antisocial behaviors, and should probably not be allowed to council the impressionable youth.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2013 [10 favorites]
Also this lion cub is adorable and made my day. I forgot to mention that.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:28 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 11:28 AM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
She's unbelievably cute. Especially for somebody who would happily eat me if she could.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:35 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:35 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I like its color. I remember watching a carton when I was a child featuring a white lion as the main character.--Ahmed_Nabil
Kimba!
posted by eye of newt at 11:43 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Kimba!
posted by eye of newt at 11:43 AM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
She sounds like a grumpy little goat sitting on an even grumpier cat and that is delightful to me.
posted by elizardbits at 11:47 AM on October 5, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by elizardbits at 11:47 AM on October 5, 2013 [4 favorites]
I've a Horse Outside: "I had the idea that animals in zoos were supposed to be "kept wild," and not overly-socialized to humans, but the photos show them petting her and snuggling her."
If they're to be released back into the wild, they generally try to minimize contact with humans, but most zoo animals (in the West, anyway) are now either zoo-born, acquired from some other form of captivity (like crazy people with big cat menageries, for example), or too injured to be released back to the wild. The animals are socialized to humans because it is much, MUCH less stressful for them -- zoo animals get a great deal of veterinary care, for example, so zoo these days do a lot of training to help those animals become accustomed to veterinary care. For example, gorillas are trained to reach their arm into a special cage and grab a bar really hard (to raise a vein!), and then the vet can do a quick blood draw, and the gorilla is rewarded with a treat -- this is much safer than a vet trying to get a blood draw from an awake, terrified gorilla in a confined area, or than putting the gorilla to sleep to draw blood.
Anyway, what to do for each specific species (and individual animals, who have their own personalities) is a topic of ongoing research and refinement and it isn't perfect. But generally you'd want a zoo-lifer lion to be comfortable with human keepers and veterinarians. You don't want to be cleaning his enclosure while he's in with you or anything, but it's also super-stressful for the lion if he sees humans as a source of threat rather than a moderate nuisance that provides food on a regular basis.
(And generally the goal isn't "as wild an existence as possible" but "as fulfilling a ZOO existence as possible." You and I have different needs when we live in an apartment vs. as a cowboy on the open range; so do animals. Needs for exercise and intellectual stimulation are met differently in an apartment vs. on the open range; the same goes for animals. Not that all types of animals can be reasonably housed in zoos, but if you do have an animal housed in a zoo, the goal is to give it the best ZOO life, not necessarily a facsimile wild life.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:21 PM on October 5, 2013 [24 favorites]
If they're to be released back into the wild, they generally try to minimize contact with humans, but most zoo animals (in the West, anyway) are now either zoo-born, acquired from some other form of captivity (like crazy people with big cat menageries, for example), or too injured to be released back to the wild. The animals are socialized to humans because it is much, MUCH less stressful for them -- zoo animals get a great deal of veterinary care, for example, so zoo these days do a lot of training to help those animals become accustomed to veterinary care. For example, gorillas are trained to reach their arm into a special cage and grab a bar really hard (to raise a vein!), and then the vet can do a quick blood draw, and the gorilla is rewarded with a treat -- this is much safer than a vet trying to get a blood draw from an awake, terrified gorilla in a confined area, or than putting the gorilla to sleep to draw blood.
Anyway, what to do for each specific species (and individual animals, who have their own personalities) is a topic of ongoing research and refinement and it isn't perfect. But generally you'd want a zoo-lifer lion to be comfortable with human keepers and veterinarians. You don't want to be cleaning his enclosure while he's in with you or anything, but it's also super-stressful for the lion if he sees humans as a source of threat rather than a moderate nuisance that provides food on a regular basis.
(And generally the goal isn't "as wild an existence as possible" but "as fulfilling a ZOO existence as possible." You and I have different needs when we live in an apartment vs. as a cowboy on the open range; so do animals. Needs for exercise and intellectual stimulation are met differently in an apartment vs. on the open range; the same goes for animals. Not that all types of animals can be reasonably housed in zoos, but if you do have an animal housed in a zoo, the goal is to give it the best ZOO life, not necessarily a facsimile wild life.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 12:21 PM on October 5, 2013 [24 favorites]
I also wonder if, as a general game plan, it isn't too soon to start releasing white lions into the wild. This cub is a big deal - it would be a poor gamble to try to "raise it wild", only to have it later die shortly after it's released.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:25 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:25 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
While we are all sqeei-ng at the adorableness of this little critter, there are many orphaned exotic large cats in failed zoos, etc that need to be cared for. Here in Indiana, we have the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, to which I have made modest donations on my visits there. I think they do important work and are worth supporting.
I have no relationship with the EFRC other than as a donor and kitty aficionado.
posted by pjern at 1:58 PM on October 5, 2013 [4 favorites]
I have no relationship with the EFRC other than as a donor and kitty aficionado.
posted by pjern at 1:58 PM on October 5, 2013 [4 favorites]
I think she's adorable! I have actually had the honor of handling very young cubs. As newborns they are soft and smell like straw. I and my children were peed on by the little baby lions.
That seriously impressed all the barky dogs on the way home. ( Had to walk, because too smelly for the bus..)
It. Really. Impressed. Our. Two. Cats.
They hid under the bed for awhile. I bagged up the clothes. We had baths. I washed the cloths several times. Then dried then.
Zoos serve a few useful functions, species preservation, species renewal and return. Education,.
On White lions, they are a special, rare, sub-species.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 2:09 PM on October 5, 2013 [8 favorites]
That seriously impressed all the barky dogs on the way home. ( Had to walk, because too smelly for the bus..)
It. Really. Impressed. Our. Two. Cats.
They hid under the bed for awhile. I bagged up the clothes. We had baths. I washed the cloths several times. Then dried then.
Zoos serve a few useful functions, species preservation, species renewal and return. Education,.
On White lions, they are a special, rare, sub-species.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 2:09 PM on October 5, 2013 [8 favorites]
The animals are socialized to humans because it is much, MUCH less stressful for them -- zoo animals get a great deal of veterinary care, for example, so zoo these days do a lot of training to help those animals become accustomed to veterinary care.
Once you explain it, it's so obvious!
posted by I've a Horse Outside at 2:38 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Once you explain it, it's so obvious!
posted by I've a Horse Outside at 2:38 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is exactly how my cat sounded when the vet was forcibly expressing his bladder. Also if you have the "Human to Cat" app on your phone, this is the sound on the 2nd row, 2nd from the left.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:47 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:47 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised to see the zookeepers handling her so much!
I'm not too surprised, for the reasons very well explained above and also because I know I would never want to stop snuggling her.
Look at her toes.
LOOK AT THEM.
SCREAMSCREAMSCREAM
posted by louche mustachio at 4:16 PM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm not too surprised, for the reasons very well explained above and also because I know I would never want to stop snuggling her.
Look at her toes.
LOOK AT THEM.
SCREAMSCREAMSCREAM
posted by louche mustachio at 4:16 PM on October 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
Too cute for words but she looks like a puppy and sounds like a goat.
Her parents' enclosure looked small, depressing and cagey. I hope they have more space than the quick glimpse we see in video.
posted by shoesietart at 4:34 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Her parents' enclosure looked small, depressing and cagey. I hope they have more space than the quick glimpse we see in video.
posted by shoesietart at 4:34 PM on October 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
RAWR! I am very scary! Also, I like to snuggle with Eeyore.
Adorable.
I would imagine that rare white lions are going to get the best possible treatment available. Lions used to be a dime a dozen in zoos, but became rarer as more exotic species grew in favor, and now they are at a high premium again in the zoo world. These lions are like gold to that zoo; they are unlikely to treat them poorly.
If their genesis is anything like that of white tigers, the entire subspecies can be traced back to one mutation. As cats have no problem with incest, you will still find white tigers around, but they will either get rarer or continue to inbreed to the point where health problems will become a real concern.
So while 500 white lions seems like a lot for a rare subspecies, and in fact is a happy situation at the moment, we know going in that time is against us and that population will begin to decrease unless we keep up the captive breeding efforts. Everyone wants these animals to succeed; the zoos and the white lions thus have a symbiotic relationship. Out in the wild, their chances are not nearly so good.
posted by misha at 5:09 PM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
Adorable.
I would imagine that rare white lions are going to get the best possible treatment available. Lions used to be a dime a dozen in zoos, but became rarer as more exotic species grew in favor, and now they are at a high premium again in the zoo world. These lions are like gold to that zoo; they are unlikely to treat them poorly.
If their genesis is anything like that of white tigers, the entire subspecies can be traced back to one mutation. As cats have no problem with incest, you will still find white tigers around, but they will either get rarer or continue to inbreed to the point where health problems will become a real concern.
So while 500 white lions seems like a lot for a rare subspecies, and in fact is a happy situation at the moment, we know going in that time is against us and that population will begin to decrease unless we keep up the captive breeding efforts. Everyone wants these animals to succeed; the zoos and the white lions thus have a symbiotic relationship. Out in the wild, their chances are not nearly so good.
posted by misha at 5:09 PM on October 5, 2013 [3 favorites]
I've a Horse Outside: "Once you explain it, it's so obvious!"
If you're interested in the topic, there's a really interesting book called "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched" about students in the nation's premier exotic animal training program; it talks a little bit about training animals for showbiz, but most students are there to work at zoos or wildlife parks and are learning to train and care for zoo animals. It's extremely interesting to read about the clever ways they teach the animals to work WITH human keepers to improve the animals' quality of life ... and the same techniques will work on your dog. Or your spouse. (NPR interview, also excerpt.)
If you go to your local zoo and chat up a zookeeper (not a docent or educator, who are the folks with the canned facts at exhibits, but a zookeeper who is feeding or cleaning), they are usually SUPER-THRILLED to talk about animal enrichment and animal training, because it's been a real sea-change in the profession in the last 20 years, and it hasn't really penetrated the public consciousness, even though a lot of zoos include it in their public outreach (information about exhibit redesign, Christmas funding drives for enrichment presents for the animals, etc.). A lot of it is as simple as training the animals to move between their on-exhibit and off-exhibit spaces without coercion so the exhibits can be cleaned. Just say, "I've been reading a little bit about newer forms of animal training that zookeepers use, like how they're trained to cooperate with vet exams and how you give them various mental stimulation to keep them happy? It was so interesting! What do you do with these spider monkeys?" (Answer: Spider monkeys LOVE FASHION MAGAZINES. So many people to look at, so much tearing up to do. Also they gallop off-exhibit for exhibit cleaning so they can get oranges, and then when the exhibit is cleaned the keepers hide a bunch of oranges and other treats in different places, so they come back out and it's like a crazy monkey treasure hunt. I've also read about big cats being trained to jump up on a vet's table and get their blood pressure taken on their tails. And also that giraffes hate change of any sort at all and lick the walls when stressed.) Exhibit design has advanced a lot, too; some animals really like watching humans and others find human viewers stressful, and exhibit design takes that into account now. And you might, for example, put a heated lounging rock up by the viewing window in a lion's exhibit, so you can make the exhibit much bigger so the lions can stretch their legs and hide out from view if they want to, but also have the lion up near visitors just as often by luring the lion to the best viewing space by taking advantage of their natural behaviors. Zookeepers LOVE to talk about this stuff!
I don't know a lot about animals but we go to the zoo so often that both the zookeepers and the lions recognize my children. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2013 [12 favorites]
If you're interested in the topic, there's a really interesting book called "Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched" about students in the nation's premier exotic animal training program; it talks a little bit about training animals for showbiz, but most students are there to work at zoos or wildlife parks and are learning to train and care for zoo animals. It's extremely interesting to read about the clever ways they teach the animals to work WITH human keepers to improve the animals' quality of life ... and the same techniques will work on your dog. Or your spouse. (NPR interview, also excerpt.)
If you go to your local zoo and chat up a zookeeper (not a docent or educator, who are the folks with the canned facts at exhibits, but a zookeeper who is feeding or cleaning), they are usually SUPER-THRILLED to talk about animal enrichment and animal training, because it's been a real sea-change in the profession in the last 20 years, and it hasn't really penetrated the public consciousness, even though a lot of zoos include it in their public outreach (information about exhibit redesign, Christmas funding drives for enrichment presents for the animals, etc.). A lot of it is as simple as training the animals to move between their on-exhibit and off-exhibit spaces without coercion so the exhibits can be cleaned. Just say, "I've been reading a little bit about newer forms of animal training that zookeepers use, like how they're trained to cooperate with vet exams and how you give them various mental stimulation to keep them happy? It was so interesting! What do you do with these spider monkeys?" (Answer: Spider monkeys LOVE FASHION MAGAZINES. So many people to look at, so much tearing up to do. Also they gallop off-exhibit for exhibit cleaning so they can get oranges, and then when the exhibit is cleaned the keepers hide a bunch of oranges and other treats in different places, so they come back out and it's like a crazy monkey treasure hunt. I've also read about big cats being trained to jump up on a vet's table and get their blood pressure taken on their tails. And also that giraffes hate change of any sort at all and lick the walls when stressed.) Exhibit design has advanced a lot, too; some animals really like watching humans and others find human viewers stressful, and exhibit design takes that into account now. And you might, for example, put a heated lounging rock up by the viewing window in a lion's exhibit, so you can make the exhibit much bigger so the lions can stretch their legs and hide out from view if they want to, but also have the lion up near visitors just as often by luring the lion to the best viewing space by taking advantage of their natural behaviors. Zookeepers LOVE to talk about this stuff!
I don't know a lot about animals but we go to the zoo so often that both the zookeepers and the lions recognize my children. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:01 PM on October 5, 2013 [12 favorites]
I actually have been reading up a lot on giraffe enrichment and training.
It's to the point that I am a big giraffe geek. :). They DO hate change.
The very best training program in the US for giraffes are Oakland, and Safari West.
Giraffes hate being touched by humans at least. They are intelligent though and can be trained and desensitized various ways.
I actually on the sly made friends with a zoo giraffe. I fed her her own dropped browse, and chatted with her. I never ate meat when I was going to the zoo. In time, she gave me a lick, and I got to touch her nose.
The key was I let the giraffe decide.
She eventually had a baby. By then I had babies and I took them to see her.
She remembered me and came and gave my kids a good lick.
My mom could charm lions and big cats close to her.
They liked her.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 8:34 PM on October 5, 2013 [7 favorites]
It's to the point that I am a big giraffe geek. :). They DO hate change.
The very best training program in the US for giraffes are Oakland, and Safari West.
Giraffes hate being touched by humans at least. They are intelligent though and can be trained and desensitized various ways.
I actually on the sly made friends with a zoo giraffe. I fed her her own dropped browse, and chatted with her. I never ate meat when I was going to the zoo. In time, she gave me a lick, and I got to touch her nose.
The key was I let the giraffe decide.
She eventually had a baby. By then I had babies and I took them to see her.
She remembered me and came and gave my kids a good lick.
My mom could charm lions and big cats close to her.
They liked her.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 8:34 PM on October 5, 2013 [7 favorites]
I keep getting stuck on this word "rare". I've cuddled a number of cubs, every one of them was white. White lions aren't as aggressive as their cousins. I've reached into the enclosure of a strange-to-me young adult male white lion to scratch his ear. (He made it clear he wished me to, and I was suitably humble in my approach).
Rare? Seems in South Africa, every region has a white lion breeding farm, or two. I'm rather confused. And please, the baby needs a cuddle. They take them away from mom for safety. But that doesn't mean you don't keep them feeling secure!
posted by Goofyy at 4:33 AM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
Rare? Seems in South Africa, every region has a white lion breeding farm, or two. I'm rather confused. And please, the baby needs a cuddle. They take them away from mom for safety. But that doesn't mean you don't keep them feeling secure!
posted by Goofyy at 4:33 AM on October 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
I and my children were peed on by the little baby lions.
I would love to obtain baby lion pee (or any lion pee) to "impress" the neighborhood dogs with. Especially the yap of Chihuahuas (that's the collective noun, a yap) halfway down the next block that collectively go apeshit over everyone who walks by.
posted by caryatid at 2:03 PM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would love to obtain baby lion pee (or any lion pee) to "impress" the neighborhood dogs with. Especially the yap of Chihuahuas (that's the collective noun, a yap) halfway down the next block that collectively go apeshit over everyone who walks by.
posted by caryatid at 2:03 PM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
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