Men's Journal

White lion in South Africa's Sanbona Wildlife Reserve Photo credit: Courtesy The Mantis Collection

Extinct in the wild for 30 years, the white lion has been reintroduced at a South African wildlife reserve.

By Adam Spangler

It’s no circus stunt: The white lion is back in the wild. The spawn of chance matings between two lions carrying a rare recessive gene, wild white lions have not been seen since the 1970s, when poachers and hunters forced the last few into captivity. But in October, after five years of research, a mixed pride of white and tawny lions was reintroduced into the wild at South Africa’s 100,000-acre Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.

“We witnessed the two young white lionesses killing an adult male gemsbok,” says John O’Brien, an ecologist for the project. “For generations, no white lion has had the ability to kill for itself.” The group, the only self-sustaining white lions in the world, is only one conservation mission of Sanbona, which works to ensure the sustainability of South Africa’s natural resources through the development of ethical tourism. Animal reintroduction alone has returned hippo, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, lion and antelope to their native habitat. To see the pride, drive three hours along the fabled Route 62 from Cape Town through South Africa’s scenic wine country. The new Dwyka Tented Lodge offers nine private luxury tents with such royal amenities as air conditioning and private plunge pools (from $370 per night; sanbona.com). 

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