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ATTLEBORO - If all goes as planned, a rare white lion will be on exhibit at Capron Park Zoo in the spring.

The zoo announced the pending acquisition Wednesday in conjunction with McDonald's, which is opening a new restaurant in South Attleboro and plans to help finance the project in conjunction with Coca-Cola.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Capron Park Zoo have pledged to come up with about half the projected cost for the lion.

The animal will be obtained from a private animal preserve in South Africa through a group called Zoo Arc, and will make Capron one of the few zoos in the nation to have a white lion, Zoo Director Jean Benchimol said.

The animal would be on loan to the zoo and will be an impressive addition to the zoo's population, she said. "There are very few white lions and they are very beautiful animals," she said. "I really think it's something the community will enjoy."

White lions are rare in the wild because their color makes them highly visible to predators and therefore easy prey, especially as cubs, Benchimol said.

They are genetically identical to regular tawny-colored lions, except for the recessive gene that causes the white fur.

White lions are preserved on privately held land in South Africa to protect them from poachers, predators and farmers who kill lions that endanger livestock herds.

It's hoped the 2-year-old male to be exhibited in Attleboro will mate with one of two 3-year-old females already at the zoo.

Both females have the recessive gene for white fur and three out of four cubs produced would be expected to be white, Benchimol said.

All told, it will cost about $39,000 to bring the white lion to Attleboro, she said.

Of that amount, $24,000 covers transportation costs and fees paid to the owner of the lion.

Benchimol said the zoo also needs to make about $15,000 worth of renovations to its lion den.

The Friends of Capron Park Zoo, a non-profit group that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to zoo projects in recent years, has pledged $20,000 to the acquisition effort, she said. "Once again, the Friends have stepped up," Benchimol said. "They love the idea of bringing such a unique animal to the zoo."

McDonald's is opening a new restaurant at 444 Washington St. and is planning to announce a fundraising effort on Aug. 15. said spokesman Jose Medina.

The company wants to contribute to the community to celebrate the new store, which will feature a McCafe, a special children's exercise area, a fireplace and water wall.

McDonald's settled on the lion project because of the popularity and success of the zoo, Medina said.

It's not the first time MacDonald's has helped the zoo.

In 1992, the company donated a van for the zoo mobile program, Medina said.

The restaurant opens today, but a grand opening ceremony will be held Aug. 8.

GEORGE W. RHODES can be reached at 508-236-0432 or at grhodes@thesunchronicle.com.