Pumba Private Game Reserve is proud to announce the birth of two pure white lion cubs, the first cubs to be born to a pride of free-roaming, self-sustaining white lion in the Eastern Cape.

Pumba Private Game Reserve has been home to a flourishing pride of free roaming white & split lion since 2006. There are less than 500 white lion in the world. An integral part of Pumba’s white lion conservation management plan is to ensure that there is no inbreeding. To vary the gene pool of the resident white lion pride a three year old pure white lion female named Nomathemba, was brought in for introduction in October of 2009. After an extensive introduction process, Nomathemba settled into the pride and started hunting with the pride.

Nomathemba came into oestrus on the 17 January 2011, and was seen mating copiously with Temba the pure white male for nearly 10 days, during which time she conceived. The two pure white cubs, the first to be born at Pumba in four previous litters, were born on either the 29th or 30th of March 2011, and were first spotted coincidentally on the 1st of April 2011 when their den during a rouitine patrol was come across. It is critical that new mothers are not disturbed as the risk of abandoning the cubs is extremely high. For the first eight weeks they will spend all of their time in a carefully picked out den guarded by their mother to keep them safe from predators and other members of the pride. They will be nursed by their mother until six months of age, but will begin supplementing their diet with meat at the age of three months. They will start hunting with the pride at about the age of a year.