Omo, a 15-month-old giraffe, appeared in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, with a completely different pale white skin color.
Dr Derek Lee, founder and scientist at the Tanzania Wildlife Institute, is also the man who discovered Omo. He believes the animal has a lack of skin pigment leucism, which results in pale skin color.
“Omo is currently the only giraffe with this phenomenon,” said Dr. Lee. However, Omo’s phenomenon is not albinism
“Omo has leucism, which causes skin cells not to produce pigment. It appears with the herd, next to other normally colored giraffes. They don’t seem to notice the difference in Omo ,” said Dr. Lee.
“We and our partners are working to protect giraffes, fight poaching, and help Omo and his fellow humans have a better chance of living. Omo is 15 months old, the chance of living to adulthood is quite high. However, with a different skin color, it can become a target for poaching,” said Dr.
It is known that Omo’s condition is different from albinism. With albinism, the disease will cause the patient to change skin color and eye color. Meanwhile, this giraffe only has pale skin – a phenomenon that is quite rare in nature.
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