These snow-white lions in winter were born in a Caesarian procedure at a German wild animal park after the pregnancy of their mother went unnoticed.
White lion babies Niza, left, and Nero are held by keeper Hanze Hamza 13 days after their surprise birth
Nero takes a bites in the nose of veterinarian Michael Booer. They were near death after they were born, but were nursed back to health over the last two weeks
Park veterinary surgeon Dr Michael Boeer said; ‘We thought that she had only been playing with the lion. We never cottoned on to the fact that she had actually mated.’
They will be cared for by humans for about four months. Their mum Brouks was ‘out of it’ at their birth and doesn’t’ realize she is a mother
They are fed a special formula 10 times a day
There professor Ingo Nolte led a six-man team to successfully bring the lion cubs into the world. They were delivered after a seven-hour operation.
Dr Boeers went on; ‘They were nearly dead. But we nursed them carefully and they made it.’
Here they are bottle-fed by Regina Hamza. They will continue to be bottle fed until they can be acclimatized to the lions’ family
Brouks, standing, is here seen next to Snoary and Kotenay back in March