The first records of White Lions date back over 400 years in African history. The first White Lion sighting by an European though, was only in the early 1940’s. This was in the Timbavati region. In the ancient Shangaan language Timbavati means “The Place Where Star Lions Came Down From The Heavens”.

In the 1970’s Chris McBride was afraid that these lions would disappear because of human greed and ignorance. In an operation called Operation White Lion, three white lions were relocated from the Timbavati into a captive breeding program. Were it not for this move, the White Lion would surely have died out completely. Today there are no White Lions left in their natural habitat. They have been extinct in nature for 12 years.

The main reason for this is trophy hunting and canned hunting. Canned hunting is the unethical hunting of lions using bait, drugs and small enclosures in an effort to ensure the hunter a kill. White Lions being sold for these purposes fetch ten times the price of tawny Lions and are therefore in great demand. We at the CWR stand strongly opposed to this and wholeheartedly support efforts like those of the Global White Lion Protection Trust who on 14 April 2006, successfully re-introduced 4 White Lions back into the Timbavati.

Both Sandile and Tribe come from The SA Lion Park in Gauteng. We entered into a trade agreement with them as they needed Cheetahs for their breeding program. With Tribe and Sandile we hope to start our own White Lion Breeding Program. We will also be joining the South African White Lion Breeding Association. They strive to ensure a scientifically based conservation and management program to protect the African recessive White Lion gene.