Photos of rare white giraffes have been taken for the first time in history.
A picture of an incredibly rare white giraffe was taken in Kenya.
On June 30, a picture of the beautiful animal was taken outside the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy in Ijara County.
The giraffe has a rare genetic disease called leucism that makes its skin cells, hair, fur, feathers, and scales look white because they lack color.
Albinism is just a lack of melanin, but leucism is a loss of many types of pigment, which makes the giraffe totally white. However, animals with leucism usually have dark eyes, while albino animals usually have pink eyes.
This year, two of the last three giraffes were found dead. The Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy took the picture.
The picture of the giraffe is very rare because the animal is thought to be the last of its kind in the world. Early this year, poachers killed two of the almost rare species, leaving only one male.
Park guards from the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy found the bodies of a female white giraffe and her young in a settlement in Garissa County in March.
Mohammed Ahmednoor, head of Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy, said in a statement, “Today is a very sad day for the Ijara people and for Kenya as a whole.” The white giraffe is only cared for by our group and no one else in the world.
“Its killing is a blow to the community’s amazing work to save rare and unusual animals, and it should serve as a wake-up call for people to keep supporting conservation efforts.”
He went on to say, “This is a long-term loss because genetics studies and research, which were big investments by researchers in the field, are now a waste of time and money.” Aside from that, the white giraffe brought a lot of tourists to the area.
“This event means there is only one bull left.”
The white giraffes were first seen in 2016, and they were in the news again in 2018 when they were filmed for the first time.
A post from the Hirola Conservation Program at the time said, “The animals were so close and very calm, and they didn’t seem to mind that we were there.”
It went on, “The mother giraffe kept walking back and forth in front of us, telling the baby giraffe to hide behind the bushes.”
Featured Image Credit: Kenya Wildlife Service
