TheAnimalKing
Active Member
anyone have any information regarding the birth of lions at Mogo Zoo that were born to the white lions brought in from Africa in I believe 2004?
Mogo Wildlife Park Mogo Zoo lions
- Thread starter TheAnimalKing
- Start date
It would only be the original pairs at Darling Downs or Zoodoo if they are still able to reproduce. All the others are in sibling groups as far as I know.
To my knowledge, Mogo Zoo only has one white lion - a lioness named Snow, who was one of their original imports from South Africa. She has tawny descendants at Mogo (that would carry the white gene).
There are 5.2 white lions held in New Zealand (Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary):
1.0 Laduma (20/05/2004) Imported 2004
0.1 Amafu (20/05/2004) Imported 2004
0.1 Imvula (28/07/2004) Imported 2004
1.0 Timba (11/12/2006) Laduma x Imvula
1.0 Themba (11/12/2006) Laduma x Imvula
1.0 Sabie (27/01/2007) Laduma x Amafu
1.0 Sibili (27/01/2007) Laduma x Amafu
As far as I know, these are the white lions in Australia...
Altina Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
1.0 Holden (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
1.0 Kimba (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
0.1 Elsa (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
0.1 Neferity (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
Crocodylus Park, NT, Australia
1.0 Zuri (Bakari x Kiara) 13/08/2013 Transferred 2014 from ZooDoo
1.0 Araali (Bakari x Kiara) 13/08/2013 Transferred 2014 from ZooDoo
Darling Downs Zoo, QLD, Australia
1.0 Shaka Imported from South Africa 2009
0.1 Shenzi Imported from South Africa 2009
1.0 Kwanza (Shaka x Shenzi) 12/11/2012
0.1 (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015
Hunter Valley Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Kovu (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015 Transferred from Darling Downs Zoo 2016
0.1 Nala (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015 Transferred from Darling Downs Zoo 2016
Mansfield Zoo, VIC, Australia
1.0 Djuma (Tim x Snow) 00/00/2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2012
1.0 Matimba (Tim x Snow) 00/00/2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2012
Mogo Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
0.1 Snow Imported from South Africa 2004
National Zoo, ACT, Australia
1.0 Jake 19/10/2007 Imported from Tygerberg Zoopark, South Africa 2009
0.1 Mischka 19/10/2007 Imported from Tygerberg Zoopark, South Africa 2009
Shoalhaven Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Jabari (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
1.0 Kibwana (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
0.1 Gimbya (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
0.1 Jaja (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
Tasmania Zoo, TAS, Australia
1.0 Megalou (Tim x Bella) 2006 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Narky (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Vati (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Timba (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
Zoodoo, TAS, Australia
1.0 Bakari (unk x unk) 31/07/2009 Imported from South Africa 2009
0.1 Kiara (unk) 00/00/0000 Imported from South Africa 2009
Altina Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
1.0 Holden (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
1.0 Kimba (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
0.1 Elsa (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
0.1 Neferity (Tim x Bella) 00/11/2014
Crocodylus Park, NT, Australia
1.0 Zuri (Bakari x Kiara) 13/08/2013 Transferred 2014 from ZooDoo
1.0 Araali (Bakari x Kiara) 13/08/2013 Transferred 2014 from ZooDoo
Darling Downs Zoo, QLD, Australia
1.0 Shaka Imported from South Africa 2009
0.1 Shenzi Imported from South Africa 2009
1.0 Kwanza (Shaka x Shenzi) 12/11/2012
0.1 (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015
Hunter Valley Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Kovu (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015 Transferred from Darling Downs Zoo 2016
0.1 Nala (Shaka x Shenzi) 00/01/2015 Transferred from Darling Downs Zoo 2016
Mansfield Zoo, VIC, Australia
1.0 Djuma (Tim x Snow) 00/00/2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2012
1.0 Matimba (Tim x Snow) 00/00/2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2012
Mogo Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia
0.1 Snow Imported from South Africa 2004
National Zoo, ACT, Australia
1.0 Jake 19/10/2007 Imported from Tygerberg Zoopark, South Africa 2009
0.1 Mischka 19/10/2007 Imported from Tygerberg Zoopark, South Africa 2009
Shoalhaven Zoo, NSW, Australia
1.0 Jabari (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
1.0 Kibwana (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
0.1 Gimbya (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
0.1 Jaja (Bakari x Kiara) 13/01/2014 Transferred from Zoodoo 2016
Tasmania Zoo, TAS, Australia
1.0 Megalou (Tim x Bella) 2006 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Narky (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Vati (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
1.0 Timba (Tim x Snow) 2007 Transferred from National Zoo 2016
Zoodoo, TAS, Australia
1.0 Bakari (unk x unk) 31/07/2009 Imported from South Africa 2009
0.1 Kiara (unk) 00/00/0000 Imported from South Africa 2009
The young female at DDZ is called Msichana. She and her brothers were born on 13th January.
I know Snow had 1.1 tawny cubs on 09/08/12 with tawny male Mac. Do you know their names?
Did Snow only have the 3 litters 1.1 (2006), 5.0 (2007), 1.1 (2012)?
In 2014 she also gave birth to females Zuri and Chitwa. Sire was Mac: https://www.northerndailyleader.com...iled-illawarra-zoo-welcomes-lion-cub-sisters/
I can’t find them anywhere. I’m assuming the female died as no other zoo in the region appears to have her in their collection and there’s no reason she couldn’t have formed an all female pride with Snow and her next litter of 0.2 born in 2014.
Interestingly, the press release for the five males born 2007 says it would be Snow’s last litter. Instead, after those three litters with Tim; they bred her twice more to the tawny male, Mac.
Tim had presumably died by then; though mating Snow with Mac and then breeding their daughters (tawny coloured, but carrying the white gene) to Tim would have been a viable way to produce white cubs from an unrelated pairing.
Tim and Bella were transferred to Altina some time pre-2014. They had a litter of 2.2 there. I don’t know why they went and Snow remained behind. They both died at Altina in 2018.
Do you know what happened to Purr from the first Mogo litter? Her brother Joe was renamed Megalou. He went to the National Zoo in 2008, and then Tasmania Zoo in 2016.
Tim and Bella were imported in 2012. In 2014, Bella gave birth to a litter of 2.2 cubs: Holden, Kimba, Neferity and Elsa. I believe all four cubs are still there today, though there were talks of swapping the two males a few years ago.
No, that’s a mystery as well. Mogo Zoo have historically been highly secretive about their big cats, so I assume no news in bad news in that she probably died young.
It seems white lions have been tarred with the same brush as white tigers in that none of the mainstream zoos are interested in holding them. This seems strange as they’re not plagued with genetic defects, like white tigers. One of the main (tawny) African lion bloodlines in the region was founded by Tonyi, who carried the white gene.
Yes, they are all still there. Altina swapping males with Shoalhaven would have made sense. I wondered why it never eventuated.
Yeah, it’s strange that 4 facilities would go to the trouble of importing white lions, and then nothing was co-ordinated to keep the program going when the genetics were available. Plus like you say, there’s no reason they can’t be part of breeding programs with tawny lions.
Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary was keen to offload some of their many big cats a while ago, but there were no takers as they’re not accredited. Instead, they haven’t bred for over a decade and are letting all the cats die off. The four younger male lions (aged 14) could still be imported by Australia if a facility had the inclination, but apparently they don’t.
Like white tigers, the genetics is a recessive gene which is most easily expressed by mating related individuals, So while white lions don't have obvious genetic defects yet, they are likely to in the future. But the real point is that breeding for colour is not what zoos should be about. Otherwise zoos would be full of domestic animals.
A couple of bits to add:
-Mogo still have Snow and also have a brother sister white lion pair as well, they live in the second lion enclosure down near the primate islands, not sure of names sorry.
-White lions and known white lion gene carriers are not allowed to be part of the ZAA managed programs as major zoos who have the biggest pull in program management don’t see them as “pure” representation of wild lions?? and are instead managed by the individual zoos who wish to house and breed them. This also means that the Tawny cubs produced by snow and then their cubs as well will most likely be managed externally to the program.
-White lions aren’t allowed in the ZAA program for lions as we don’t Want to breed specifically for genetic variations/colour mutations but I might also just add the king cheetah at Dubbo have produced something like 6 litters of cubs? So I don’t know how far this ruling goes or if it’s just given to certain species based on who’s running the program.
-to claim the White Lions and White tigers are anywhere near the same thing in terms of genetics is a bit far fetched to me, white lions are a colour variation which although rare, does still occur in the wild and can be managed to a larger founder base. White tigers are all descended from a single individual found in the wild 60-something years ago and immediately bred with his daughter. As long as both parents carry that gene is can be expressed, the program can be managed as good as any other big cat program in Australia, where most Sumatran tigers are in some way related to the few original animals (and a million times better than any ungulate programs we have running here)
I personally don’t see the problem with breeding and housing white lions here in Aus if there’s a demand for them and if done so with genetic management in mind, which up to this point has been done well.
-Mogo still have Snow and also have a brother sister white lion pair as well, they live in the second lion enclosure down near the primate islands, not sure of names sorry.
-White lions and known white lion gene carriers are not allowed to be part of the ZAA managed programs as major zoos who have the biggest pull in program management don’t see them as “pure” representation of wild lions?? and are instead managed by the individual zoos who wish to house and breed them. This also means that the Tawny cubs produced by snow and then their cubs as well will most likely be managed externally to the program.
-White lions aren’t allowed in the ZAA program for lions as we don’t Want to breed specifically for genetic variations/colour mutations but I might also just add the king cheetah at Dubbo have produced something like 6 litters of cubs? So I don’t know how far this ruling goes or if it’s just given to certain species based on who’s running the program.
-to claim the White Lions and White tigers are anywhere near the same thing in terms of genetics is a bit far fetched to me, white lions are a colour variation which although rare, does still occur in the wild and can be managed to a larger founder base. White tigers are all descended from a single individual found in the wild 60-something years ago and immediately bred with his daughter. As long as both parents carry that gene is can be expressed, the program can be managed as good as any other big cat program in Australia, where most Sumatran tigers are in some way related to the few original animals (and a million times better than any ungulate programs we have running here)
I personally don’t see the problem with breeding and housing white lions here in Aus if there’s a demand for them and if done so with genetic management in mind, which up to this point has been done well.
It’s Mafuta and Numbi, Snow’s first litter. I wasn’t sure if they were still there or not. Thanks for the confirmation.
I agree, and I don’t see why they couldn’t be integrated into the tawny breeding program. There are currently wild white lions in Kruger. A white cub was spotted in May last year, in a litter with 3 tawnys and a tawny mother. Yes, they are descended from captive whites that were released, but those genetics originally came from Kruger, and in the case of the female, only one generation removed from wild. Those whites have bred with the wild tawnys and produced white cubs, so the white gene is still naturally present in the tawnys.
I know some people don’t like them, but personally I think they are the prettiest cats there are, and if they are at a zoo they are the first thing I want to see.