Lounging gracefully in the long grass in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, these majestic White Lions wait patiently for their release back into the wild.

The Staff struggle to load a Lioness onto a vehicle to be fitted with an internal transponder.

The Cubs are fitted with tracking systems under their skin so growth can be monitored.

Often mistaken for albino lions, their translucent fur and bright blue eyes are the product of a rare gene, meaning they are seen by many, including tribal elders in Africa, as the most sacred animal on the African continent.

However their beauty has made them a prized hunting trophy and following years of forced removals into zoos and captive breeding camps around the world, the White Lion has become technically extinct in the wild.

Unprotected by South African law, less than three prides are free-roaming in the wild.

The pride relax in the long grass only days away from their release back into the wild.