Rare White Lion Cub Makes First Appearance At Zoo. Pics Are Aww-Dorable

A rare white lion cub, born in Hungary's Szeged Zoo, made its first public appearance on Friday. Sonja, as the female cub has been named, sent netizens across the world 'oohing' and 'awwing' over her.

Sonja was born to Nadja and Timba on May 15, the Szeged Zoo said in a statement. Weighing 1.5 kgs, the white lion cub has since doubled her weight.

Adorable pictures of Sonja have gone viral on social media, delighting thousands across the world.

Hello Sonja! A rare white lion, born in the Szeged Zoo in #Hungary on May 15, made its first public appearance on Fri. White lions are not albinos, but have coloration that results from a genetic rarity. pic.twitter.com/ng1TtRl6qI

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) May 25, 2019

According to Xinhua News, white lions are not albinos. Their white colour results from genetic rarity, specific to the Southern African lion. While there are about 300 white lions in the world today, only 11 live in the wild. The rest live in zoos and breeding farms, for the purpose of preserving this naturally occurring gene variant.

What do you think of Sonja's pics? Do let us know using the comments section.