A remote nature reserve in Kenya is home to a family of white giraffes. They are extremely rare and the first ones known to be captured on film.
LOCAL LEGENDS
Local villagers first spotted the white giraffes in 2017 at the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy in Kenya. They alerted conservationists, who traveled to the reserve to capture the rare giraffe family on video.
This is the first time a white giraffe had ever been filmed or photographed.
The conservancy has invited wildlife biologists, giraffe specialists and other scientists to study the giraffes. The giraffe family’s otherworldly beauty has captured the world’s attention.
THE WHITE GIRAFFE FAMILY IS GROWING
As the newspaper All Africa noted, “The giraffe, described as one of a kind and believed to be the only one in the world, has continued to dazzle the local community, scientists and wildlife enthusiasts globally.”
In 2019, the Hirola Conservancy announced that Mama Giraffe had given birth to a second white baby.
WHY ARE THEY WHITE?
Residents have since reported that another white giraffe was living at a nature reserve in Tanzania.
Biologists say the giraffes are not albinos. They probably have a condition called leucism that prevents pigmentation of skin cells. Animals with leucism can still develop dark pigment in their eyes and other organs.
Experts don’t think the condition will cause medical problems for the giraffes, but it might make them easy for predators to spot.
The giraffes appear to get along fine with the other giraffes at the reserve. With luck, they’ll continue delighting and dazzling the world for many years to come.