For what some claim to be the first time in recorded history, some extremely rare, all white “albino” giraffes have been caught on camera in the African country of Kenya.
The white giraffes grace the scene with an elegant, white glow, next to another giraffe that was completely normal.
Unfortunately the lack of pigment in the giraffes, leading to that beautiful white color, is in fact a condition they suffer from known as Leucism, which is supposed to be a genetic condition that prevents pigmentation from properly taking place.
The consequence of that condition is that they may be very sensitive to the bright, hot sunlight of the African country, similar to the way all-white dogs are more sensitive to the sun, or even human beings with light skin.
In the video below, Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy was visited by a mother and her child, and as they wandered through the place they stumbled upon these special animals.
A few months prior, and this happened about exactly a year ago, rumors were circulating about some white giraffe and her baby being spotted in the area. Then this confirmed it. The first sighting reportedly happened in June, according to the New York Times:
“A villager in Kenya was herding animals one day recently when he came upon a head-turning sight. A ghostly creature with a mighty long neck was grazing off in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the vision was revealed to be a female reticulated giraffe — tall, majestic and preternaturally white — and she was accompanied by a smaller apparition: a pale baby giraffe.
The sightings in June, in Garissa County near the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy, sent the villager scurrying off to tell rangers, the founder of the Hirola Conservation Program said on Thursday. The news has been ricocheting across continents and making headlines ever since.”
A factor that most people probably wouldn’t consider was cited as the reason, why this genetic disposition may not actually be as consequential as you’d think with the hot sun.
Did you know that over half of all giraffes fail to live past six months of age? According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, predators such as hyenas and lions find them to be very easy prey, and most of them fall victim to those predators. Despite the incredible tallness of a giraffe, these fierce, fast predators catch them all the time.
It’s a strange thing to think about all the effects that can be produced from something being publicized on the Internet. At this point, it’s like giving the entire world a potential inspiration to go to a particular location.
Now the video is going viral, and some people have raised concerns that poaching might be encouraged by the location and images of these animals reaching so many people.
This is the exact type of thing that people can appreciate in the most wholesome possible way. In terms of goodness and wholesomeness, getting satisfaction from the beauty of animals or scenes in nature would seem to be one of the most down to Earth, innocuous things possible.
In this day and age, that type of grounded, deeply down to Earth thing is to be treasured and appreciated to the fullest.