Earlier this month, a rare white giraffe was spotted in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.
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“We were lucky enough to resight her again this January, nearly exactly one year later”, the organization writes on its website. She has always been spotted with a large group of normally colored giraffe, which do not mind her different coloring.
Omo, named after a popular detergent by a local guide according to Wild Nature Institute’s blog, has a genetic condition called leucism that results in a loss of pigmentation. “Her body surface cells are not capable of making pigment, but she is not an albino”, explained the Wild Nature Institute, in a blog post.
As opposed to albinsim, which is characterised by red or blue eyes and pure white skin, she is considered “pale” – but her survival in the wild is still impressive.
“We were thrilled to find her alive and well”, Lee, who has been studying giraffes with digital photos since 2011, said Tuesday. Omo belongs to a subspecies native to Kenya, and is a Masai giraffe, with characteristic spots that resemble the general shape of oak leaves. This initial period is considered the most unsafe for a young giraffe as predators like lion, leopard and hyena usually prey on nearly half of all giraffe calves during this stage.
Lee researches giraffes at the National Park.
Many fear Omo will become a target for illegal poaching because of her unique coloring.
Wildlife researchers in Tanzania ran across a rare giraffe nearly completely devoid of pigment one year after first spotting her as a calf.
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“Omo is the only pale giraffe we are now aware of, but we have observed leucistic waterbuck, cape buffalo and ostrich in Tarangire”.
