Why are White Lions not classified as endangered and officially protected if they are so rare in the wild?
White lions are not classified as a ‘subspecies’ of Panthera leo, and as such are not protected in the wild or in captivity. The lack of objectivity in lion classification means that there is no legislation that protects ‘rare’ and ‘unique’ lion groupings in certain regions . For instance, similar to the White Lion, the lion populations living in west and central Africa could possibly be characterized as “critically endangered”. But, because their status as a separate lion ‘subspecies’ is unclear, their need for protection has not been officially recognized .The subspeciation issue today is highly controversial. There are “Lumpers” (scientists who believe in protecting the whole species only: i.e. lions are lions are lions) and “Splitters” (scientists who believe that sub-categorising helps to give specific protection). Although there is evidence to suggest that White Lions should be classified as a subspecies, this is after-all only a classification. While waiting for this elaborate s
