The Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy in Garissa County, Kenya, is famous for its rare hirola antelopes: quick, sharp-horned ungulates endemic to the area. Back in early June, though, a resident walking near the conservancy saw something else unusual: a ghostly, tall animal, stepping through the brush.
The villager informed a ranger, who ferried the news to researchers at the nearby Hirola Conservation Program. “We hurriedly headed to the scene as soon as we got the news,” one researcher recalled recently, on the Program’s blog. “And lo! There, right [in front] of us, was the so hyped ‘white giraffe’ of Ishaqbini conservancy!” Just seconds later, another surprise was in store. There were not one, but two white giraffes: a mother and a calf.
As the researcher explains, these two giraffes have what is called leucism, a heritable genetic condition that reduces an animal’s ability to produce pigment. Unlike albinism, leucism doesn’t disrupt pigmentation entirely: affected…
The post Two White Giraffes—A Mom and a Calf—Are Thrilling Wildlife Fans in Kenya appeared first on FeedBox.