Puma gives birth to ultra-rare albino cub in Nicaraguan zoo

A bit of all white! Puma gives birth to ultra-rare albino cub in Nicaraguan zoo

• It is thought that there are only four of the rare pumas worldwide  

An albino puma has been born at a zoo in Nicaragua, marking the first Central American country to see the rare type of cub born in captivity. 

The tiny, brilliant white puma, with small pink nose, was born at Thomas Belt Zoo in Juigalpa and is said to be only one of four worldwide, according to zoo veterinarian Carlos Molina. 

Amazing photos show the unnamed cub standing out next to its two beige coloured and spotted siblings, as they nestle close to their mother. 

The unnamed animal is healthy and eating well, but the zoo vet warned it is still early days and albino pumas require extra care and are vulnerable to sunlight. 

The young pumas are now being kept inside a sealed cage so the mother does not become stressed or confused of human odours with that of the newborns, which could cause her to attack them.  

An albino puma has been born at Thomas Belt zoo in Jiigalpa in Nicaragua, marking the first time the rare type of cub has been born in Central America

Photos show the unnamed cub standing out next to its two beige coloured and spotted siblings, as they nestle close to their mother

The tiny, brilliant white puma, with small pink nose is thought to be one of only four ever born

The young pumas are now being kept inside a sealed cage so the mother does not become stressed or confused of human odours with that of the newborn 

Her mate is also being kept in a separate enclosure, as male pumas have been known to kill their young.

Mr Molina has not had any physical contact, and the genders of the litter remain unknown.

Once the cats reach three months of age, the zoo plans to exhibit them to the general public. 

Thomas Belt hosts some 50,000 to 60,000 visitors each year, according to zoo management.

Pumas are found across the Americas, from the high Andean region of southern Peru to the jungles of Central America.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says pumas have the largest geographic range of any land mammal in the Western hemisphere, though they were all but eliminated from the eastern half of North America after European colonization.

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