Ahmed Indimi , son – in-law of the President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd ) , has shared pictures of a white lion on the leash on social media with the caption “ my new pet . ”
It is not immediately clear if Mr . Indimi is in a petting zoo .
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion , specifically the Southern African lion , Wikipedia reports .
“ White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries , although the earliest recorded sighting in this region was in 1938, ” it says .
According to online portal ,
Travel & Leisure , only about a dozen white lions exist in the wild today.
“ That ’ s according to the Global White Lion Protection Trust , which was founded by South African conservationist Linda Tucker in 2002 to help protect white lions and reintroduce them into the wild.
“ White lions are not albinos , ” the portal adds .
White lions occur naturally in South Africa and have been sighted in the Greater Timbavati and southern Kruger Park region.
According to the Global White Lion Protection Trust , the white colouration in white lions is similar to blue eyes in humans , which is also due to a recessive gene .
In Nigeria , singer Runtown , businessman Soso Soberekon and DJ Cuppy are proud owners of the rare lion .
To show that he ’ s also a proud owner of a white lion , Indimi flaunted his pet on Instagram in a picture that has him dressed in white to match .
In the comment section , one @ amma _ licious said , “ I really hope it’ s a joke because these are endangered animals. Their population is diminishing due to poaching and such acts of keeping as pets . ”
One Lilvicky 68 on Nairaland forum said , “ I wish the lion could take a lovely bite. ”
Another member of the forum , Wallade , said , “ In a sane country, Animal Control Authority or Animal Rights Group would evacuate the animal from his custody, with or without his consent. No one has the right to keep a wild and very dangerous animal like a lion as a pet . The animal belongs to the zoo or wild. ”
On Twitter , @ sadedoyin 1990 wrote in Pidgin English, saying , ” Nah the lion go kill ham las las. ”
