Extremely Rare Species Of White Giraffes Spotted In Kenya(pics)


Extremely
rare white mother and baby white giraffes have been filmed in Kenya
without the distinctive marking of its usual color and patterns.
The
Giraffe species is named Camelopardalis which means, “camel-leopard –
because they were originally thought to be a cross breeding of the two
animals.


There have been different subspecies of giraffes with different patterns including:

  • the Masai giraffes which have spots that look like oak leaves;
  • the Rothschild’s giraffes boast large, brown splotches outlined by thick, pale lines;
  • Kenya’s own reticulated giraffe which has a dark coat with very graphic shapes and well-defined narrow lines;
  • the northern giraffe,
  • Nubian Giraffe,
  • the Angolan Giraffe,
  • the Kordofan Giraffe,
  • the West African Giraffe,
  • the Rhodesian Giraffe.

These white reticulated giraffes have a genetic condition called
leucism – a condition which doesn’t allow skin cells to produce
pigmentation, but soft tissues, like dark eyes, do.
As rare as
white giraffes are, some have been found in Tanzania – a first of which
was reported in January 2016 at Tarangire National park. The two white
giraffes come from Kenya and the duo is an adult and calf filmed by he
Hirola Conservation Programme (HCP), a group that partners with Rainforest Trust (RT)
RT
explains that the giraffes were in the region where Rainforest Trust
and HCP are protecting vital habitat for the Hirola, the world’s most
threatened antelope.
According to the group, report of a white
baby giraffe and its mother sent by Rangers who in turn got the report
from one of the villagers adjacent to the Ishaqbini Conservancy prompted
them to quickly get to the scene and film the white giraffes.
As can be seen in the video, the giraffes look real just like many other animals with leucism including white peacocks, albino alligator, moose etc.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature had once raised alarm over these animals going extinct if
nothing is done to prevent poachers from hunting them. Thankfully, the
Kenya white giraffes are in a preserve that protects them from hunters.
 meantime, the
In the meantime, the ghostly giants are said to be symbols of Mother Nature.
Giraffes
are currently known as the tallest mammals on earth and at adult size,
they are rarely attacked or killed, by lions or hyenas – except for the
juvenile, sick, or aged individuals.
However, an adult giraffe can
be ambushed by crocodiles at a water hole since it has to squat to
drink water. And as sadly rare as white giraffes are, they’re no ghost
to predator attacks.
white giraffes

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