Rare White Lion Quadruplets to Meet Public for 1st Time

Extremely rare white lion quadruplets cubs are getting ready to meet the public for the first time on December 26.

The four cubs, all male, were born last month at the Nantong Forest Wildlife Zoo in Nantong, in eastern China's Jiangsu province.

They are the second set of quadruplet white lions at the zoo. The cubs grow up at a speed of about 50 grams per day and are given a full bath and physical examination after one month.

The Chinese zoo also released photos of the brothers eating meat and playing together.

The yet to be named cubs form part of only 100 living in captivity while there are just 13 white lions in the wild.

Despite the lions sharing similar features to albino, however, they aren't as white coloration in lions is similar to blue eyes in humans, which is also due to a recessive gene.

According to the Global White Lion Protection Trust, white lions are not considered endangered because they are not yet appropriately classified.

At the moment, white lions are listed as Panthera leo, which is classified as "vulnerable", meaning they may become threatened with extinction in the future unless trade is closely controlled. This is why the Global White Lions Protection Trust was set up.