It was only recently that a rare white-colored shark, believed to be a great white shark, washed up on a beach in Australia. The shark was found to have Leucism, or a condition where there is a lack of multiple kinds of pigmentation in the body’s tissues.
Now, while we’re on the trend of discovering animals with leucism, it’s only fair to share that a white giraffe has recently been spotted in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, and has been photographed by Dr. Derek Lee founder of the Wild Nature Institute.
This particular giraffe is a female named Omo and is 15 months old. She’s now large enough to be on her own without a mother. On the other hand, her distinguishable colors make her a prime target for hunters and predators over her fellow giraffes.
The white qualities of these animals is not to be confused with albinism, which is the lack of all kinds of skin pigment – instead, leucism is the absence of just some kinds of skin pigments, and not all.
"Her body surface cells are not capable of making pigment, but she is not an albino." Lee said on his blog. "We were lucky enough to resight her again this January, almost exactly one year later. We are thrilled that she is still alive and well."
Despite the fact that animals lacking pigmentations can often face harsh side effects and consequences, Lee reported on his blog that the giraffe had been doing well and is healthy. The animal is currently in captivity at a local national park, and this helps increase her odds of survival.
Despite the legalities of killing giraffes in Tanzania, the law is often not enough to keep illegal hunters from doing what they like to do. Fortunately, the park she resides in has security measures against this.
Source: Wild Nature Institute
