This may seem a bit naiive, but here goes:
White lions are a colour variation [a mutation] like white Tigers or blue Budgerigars. They can no more claim subspecific status than a ginger haired person like me; I'm an erythristic color variant, who would be at a slight disadvantage in a 'natural' setting, in that my skin is more sensitive to sunlight than the dominant darker haired 'normal' form
None of this detracts from any aesthetic appreciation we might have for these species, BUT they are of no conservation significance and can be left to persist in 'hidden' recessive form without necessarily dying out. Some years ago, Chester's colony of Patagonian Conures produced the occasional Lutino [red-eyed yellow] offspring. These were quite properly handed over to the private sector as irrelevant to the zoo's job of maintaining the wild phenotype.
Unfortunately I think some of your logic is flawed. White lions are not a mutation as IS the case with white tigers. The are a phenotypical response to the area in which they used to reside. White lions in the wild are not the snow white attractions seen at West Midlands Safari Park, they are much more subtle than that. In the middle of the dry season in the dry sandy river beds and parched grasslands the 'white' lions are often better camouflaged than their tawny neighbours, indeed observations have shown they have a distinct advantage over their tawny counterparts in relation to hunting success.
Also they DO have hugely significant conservation value. Conservation is not solely about scientific research and DNA analysis. Conservation HAS to encompass the environment in which the animals live, the eco system as a whole and that includes human beings and cultural significance as well as animal/human conflict.
The white lion has huge cultural importance to the native Africans in the Timbavati area. In an age when we bemoan and criticise our ancestors forced 'civilisation' of native Americans, Aborigines, Maoris, etc, then we are not learning lessons from history if we allow trophy hunting from a predominantly white society to remove the white lion, or indeed any lion, from native African lives.
Therefore, if, in conjunction with scientific research, we can increase the number of white lions to a point where they can be left to share the land with their tawny counterparts and let nature take it's course, free from trophy hunting and poaching, then it is very worthwhile in my humble opinion.
I would argue though that it is folly to claim that captive bred animals may one day be released in the wild. Captive bred animals should provide a DNA insurance policy should something disastrous happen in the wild. This is why, in addition to congenital problems, breeding inbred animals makes no sense at all.
rojects::.
