Whangarei is proving a successful breeding ground for some of the world's rarest animals.

In the last six months, two litters of white lions and one litter of Royal White Bengal tigers have been born at Zion Wildlife Gardens.

The cubs are part of a breeding programme to help ensure the animals' survival. There are as few as 150 white lions in the world and about 120 white tigers.

All are in captivity, the species having being decimated by hunters and habitat destruction.

White lions and white tigers are not albino, because they have pigmentation, but a recessive gene gives them their unique white colouring.

Zion Wildlife Gardens works with other sanctuaries to strengthen the gene pool of both endangered species.

It also breeds its own cats of different bloodlines, such as white and tawny lions.

Zion Wildlife Gardens, off Three Mile Bush Rd, is home to 'Lionman' Craig Busch, who hand-reared many of the Garden's big cats.

The Lionman television series is now showing in 100 countries, attracting a number of international visitors to the Gardens.

The Garden's latest additions are given plenty of human interaction, as they start enjoying their life at Zion.

Visitors can feed and pat four white lion cubs on the Garden's cub encounter tour. Born on January 17, the two male and two female cubs have not been named yet.