Have You Ever Seen a Couple of White Giraffes?

Edited By: David B.

Add to Favorites In Favorites

Español

Font Size:

A+ A-

With their bright bodies and elongated necks, it's pretty difficult to miss a white giraffe, particularly when there's two of them. A white baby giraffe and its equally pale mother were initially sighted in a Kenyan reserve in early August by some park rangers from the Hirola Conservation Program. Naturally, they were astounded by what they saw before their eyes, and were quick to take some video footage, which can be seen further below.

While many people were quick to label these giraffes as suffering from albinism, professionals believe that it's more likely a condition known as leucism, which only prevents the production of pigment in skin cells, allowing all other organs, such as their eyes, to be darker. Albinism, on the other hand, is a congenital condition which inhibits the production of pigment in all body parts, generally resulting in pink or red eyes.

In spite of their pigment-producing inhibition, most animals who suffer from leucism don't really face any genetic setbacks to their survival. However, their unique color can bring with it particularly unwanted attention, since it lessens their ability to hide from predators. This is especially bad news for the little one, since according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, over 50% of all giraffes are killed by predators, such as hyenas and lions, before they turn 6 months old.

There are also some concerns being raised about the safety of these two giraffes from poachers, since due to the video going viral, their location has practically been given to trophy-hunters on a plate. So far, the Kenyan reserve hasn't publicly announced any intention to heighten security levels around these rare creatures, which is rather worrying.

Check out these majestic animals in their natural environment here:

If your love giraffes as much as we do, then don't forget to check out the Giraffe Manor!

Source