PANAMA CITY BEACH — Husani, a rare white lion cub, will soon lead the pride.
Once the 13-week-old male white lion, matures, Husani will become the leader of ZooWorld’s lion pride, which currently consists of two roughly 2-year-old lionesses Zuri and Star. Unlike the rest of the pride, Husani is genetically white; he is one of about 300 white lions in the world.
“In the next couple of weeks, we will move him to a larger area that still has air conditioning ... he’ll stay there until he’s big enough to be put in with the lionesses,” said Tom Walling, the assistant director of ZooWorld.
“He’ll gain ownership of the area; therefore it won’t be their area,” Walling said, “it’ll be his area as the leader of the pride.”
Breaking from his 15- to 16-hour daily nap, the little lion was on his paws Friday afternoon, being trained to become acclimated with his new ZooWorld family. At 32 pounds, Husani wasn’t too shy to express which route he’d like to take for his nearly 20 minute stroll.
“He’s an individual; every cat’s an individual — just like humans,” said Walling, who takes Husani home with him in order to give him a late night feeding. “He loves to watch TV and getting his belly and back parts of his paws rubbed.”
The zoo acquired Husani at 9-weeks of age. Although white lions are rare, unless there is a desperate call for more lions, Walling said that zookeepers will not set Husani up to breed with the lionesses.
The offspring of the pride would not likely be white, he noted, adding that white lions result when both parents carry the recessive white gene.
White lions are not albino, but are naturally occurring and range in color from blond to near white.
“It’s going to be interesting watching Husani grow,” said Stephanie Willard-Sinnett, the director of education for ZooWorld. “As a male, he’ll go through different phases with his hair: they get a Mohawk, then it gets a little bigger and then it starts to fill out and then he turns into a big boy.”
Husani’s diet currently consists of boneless chicken, ground beef and a liquid formula, which he drinks from a bottle. Soon, he’ll have bone-in chicken wings, which will give him the calcium, fat and protein the growing lion needs.
On his late afternoon walk, Husani met up with two visiting white-and-black Bengal tiger cubs. The female cub jumped into the window frame in a gazebo, seeking out Husani’s attention.
The baby white lion was interested, but managed to make a light snarling sound.
“He’s like any 2-year-old,” Walling said, jokingly explaining Husani’s shortness with the female tiger cub. “He’s still a baby.”
To visit Husani or any of part of ZooWorld’s family, go to zooworldpcb.net or call 850-230-1243. ZooWorld is located on the beach, at 9008 Front Beach Road.
