White Lion Lodge on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve

The story of the renowned white lions of Sanbona has come full circle. All chapters have been finished, and this book is now sadly closed. In 2011 two wild white lion cubs were born to the then mixed pride of Sanbona. Through the years, they grew up and learned to survive in this harsh Little Karoo environment.

The lion and lioness (31 and 30) soon became an iconic duo on the reserve with their white coats and icy blue eyes. The male lion’s contributed to the lion metapopulation when one of the tawny females in the pride gave birth to two male cubs in 2015, who were then translocated to as reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Over the years the lions have been observed hunting various species from aardvark to giraffe, they were resilient lions who persisted through the drought and against many odds. Now, after 12 years they have lain down their heads on the Sanbona ground for the last time.

Old age, injuries from large prey encounters and finally the severe storm conditions that descended over Sanbona earlier this week has claimed both their lives within 5 days of one another. They will be remembered by many across the world for their beauty, their chilling blue stare, and their contribution to the Sanbona Lion Project.

They have paved the way to a new lion chapter on Sanbona.