The albino lion cubs that are a roaring success???????

They have been nicknamed 'The Gangsters', but they are, in fact, the pride of the zoo.

Which is not surprising, as this litter of five male white male lion cubs are the first of their kind in the world.

They are the only litter of five to be born in captivity and what's just as surprising is their place of birth ? Australia.

he playful males were born at the Mogo private zoo on the south coast of New South Wales earlier this year but were introduced to the world only yesterday.

"Having a litter of five males is unique," said zoo owner Miss Sally Padey.

"How often it has occurred in the wild we'll never know."

In fact it is highly unlikely that any white lions exist in their native Africa, for they have been declared officially extinct in the wild for more than 12 years.

"We've called them 'The Gangsters' because they move around as a mob and are always playing up," said Miss Padey.

The zoo has now bred a total of 12 white lions, which are expected to be a major attraction.

Despite their snow-white colour, they are not albinos. They have yellowish-brown eyes instead of the pink eyes that an albino would have. Their lack of colouring is due to a recessive gene.

While the litter of five are unique, they are not the only pure white animals that have defied nature with their colouring in Australia.

Recently a pure white koala was found in central New South Wales and released into the wild after receiving treatment for an illness.

A zoo west of Sydney has also laid claims to breeding a number of pure white wallabies, a smaller cousin of the kangaroo.