“Casper” is alive and well and (still) living in Kruger

Kruger’s celebrity white lion “Casper” recently gave tourists a scare, but it was just a catfight…

Visitors to the Kruger National Park have been wringing their hands in concern over “Casper,” the park’s famous white lion, after photos of the big cat looking swollen and worse for wear did the rounds on social media. Wild theories soon followed: anthrax, snakebite, or perhaps too many late-night braais.

SANParks rangers, ever the patient parents to a very large family of wild children, tracked Casper down and gave him a once-over.

The verdict? No anthrax, no snakebite, and definitely no hangover. Instead, the old boy appears to have been on the receiving end of a feline brawl. The injuries above his right eye and in his mouth are textbook evidence that another lion had the cheek to take a swipe at Kruger’s pale prince.

At 11 going on 12, Casper isn’t exactly in his prime.

In lion years, he’s basically applying for his pension card and grumbling about the youth of today. And those youths are precisely the problem. His once-mighty coalition of four brothers has whittled down to just two, with Casper and his sibling finding themselves out-muscled by two younger, brasher males in the Satara area.

A story that almost reminds about a real-life soap opera where the silver-haired lead is unceremoniously replaced by the new heartthrobs...

But don’t write him off just yet. Despite the swollen face and battle scars, SANParks has confirmed that Casper is in good condition. He may look like he’s gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson, but he’s still strutting about, reminding everyone that white lions don’t just fade quietly into the bush.

Casper’s unusual colouring, caused by a recessive gene that robs his fur of pigment, has always made him one of the Kruger’s star attractions. Tourists flock from around the world for a glimpse of the ghostly predator padding across the savannah. Now, with his new rugged look, he might just be rebranding himself from “the majestic white lion” to “the grumpy grandpa of Satara.”

So if you’re heading into Kruger soon, keep an eye out. Casper may look a little puffy, but he’s still very much the king of good photo ops. Just remember: in lion society, even legends occasionally get smacked in the mouth.

 • 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚊 𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚕 (𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛@𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍.𝚌𝚘.𝚣𝚊).
• 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜, 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚟𝚒𝚊 𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚕 (𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗@𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊.𝚌𝚘𝚖) 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚜𝙰𝚙𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎.