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Four white lions born in French zoo

Four white lions were born in a zoo in western France at the weekend...

JURQUES, France (AFP) - ... providing a welcome boost for the species whose population is teetering at about 30 worldwide, a zoo official said Wednesday. The male and three female cubs, white as snow and weighing about 1.5 kilos (3.3 pounds), were separated from their mother at birth because she appeared to lack parenting skills. "Nyala, their mother, wasn't taking care of them. It's as if she didn't know what to do," said Bernadette Oury, director of the Jurques zoo in western France where the four were born on Sunday. "They are in full health and we are thrilled," said Oury. The 30-odd white lions in the world today live in captivity in zoos or game reserves, representing all that is left of a species that originated in South Africa.