GERMANY: German safari park delighted with birth of six white lion cubs

Record ID: 783624

  • Title: GERMANY: German safari park delighted with birth of six white lion cubs
  • Date: 19th July 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRITZ WURMS, DIRECTOR OF ZOO SAFARIPARK STUKENBROCK, SAYING: "White lions are extremely special. In nature they are under great threat of extinction. You find them only very seldom in South Africa. They have apparently been in around for decades or even centuries and legend has it that they are supposed to bring good luck. They have brought our safari park here in Stukenbrock lots of luck as well as babies."
  • Embargoed: 3rd August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA5GLJP12GKXWKIDI6VCH4IGKE9
  • Story Text: German safari park proudly shows off its newest offspring, six white lion cubs.
    A German safari park showed off it's latest offspring on Monday (July 14) when six white lion cubs were presented to the public. The cubs were born to two different mothers on June 30 in the Zoo Safaripark Stukenbrock near the German town of Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock.
    The zoo said it was delighted by the arrival of the fluffy cubs.
    "White lions are extremely special. In nature they are under great threat of extinction. You find them only very seldom in South Africa. They have apparently been in around for decades or even centuries and legend has it that they are supposed to bring good luck. They have brought our safari park here in Stukenbrock lots of luck as well as babies," director of Safaripark Stukenbrock, Fritz Wurms told Reuters.
    Five year old twins Kibo and Mawensi caused quite a stir in the park after giving birth to four male and three female tigers, one of which sadly died.
    "We are always happy about births from all of our animals but six of them, it was seven but one sadly died last night. This can happen with young animals. We are so happy and especially because the mothers are twins.
    And the fact that two white lions give birth to their children in one night is something that hasn't happened in Stukenbrock for forty years," Wurms said.
    The cute little cubs appeared to be unaffected by all of the fuss made by the media as they lay on a sheet and posed for photographs. The animals were also seen being fed milk from a bottle by staff at the park.
    White tigers are not registered as an endangered species but are still seen as vulnerable. It is thought that there are less than 300 of them left world-wide. There are 24 white lions in Safaripark Stukenbrock.
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