The giraffe lives in the Ishaqbini Hirola Reserve in northeastern Kenya. Until recently, he had two other congeners, until poachers killed a female and her young in March in the same reserve. Conservationists found the animals’ carcasses.
Leukism
The special giraffes, which owe their white skin to the disorder leucism, became photographed for the first time in 2017 and were sporadically spotted in the area.
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It is feared that the last giraffe, a male, will face the same fate as its peers. The GPS tracker that was placed on a horn of the animal should prevent this. The device indicates hourly where the giraffe is, so that reserve managers can keep an eye on it.
Good future
The giraffe is currently doing well, the reserve says in a press release. “The area in which he grazes has been blessed with recent rains. With the abundance of food, he has a bright future.”
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Leucism in albinism
In both leucism and albinism, the skin turns white due to an abnormality in the pigment. Yet there are differences. Albinos have red eyes and an increased sensitivity to sunlight. Not leucistic people or animals.
In addition, animals with leucism often live longer. It appears that animals with this deviation are more aggressive towards non-leucistic animals, and therefore have better chances of survival in the wild than albinos.
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