February 24th 2024.
In an adorable video, a rare baby elephant with a pink hue can be seen frolicking in a waterhole in South Africa. The footage was captured by safari operator Theo Potgieter, who spotted the albino elephant playing and rolling around with another young elephant at Kruger National Park. According to Potgieter, the calf is estimated to be around one year old.
Speaking to Live Science, Potgieter expressed his privilege and excitement to witness such a rare and special animal in its natural habitat. He mentioned that this was his second encounter with an albino elephant calf in recent times. While some animal species may reject babies born with albinism, Potgieter observed that this was not the case with the two calves he had the chance to see. He explained that in both sightings, the rest of the herd seemed to be protective and patient with the presence of these unique individuals.
It is not uncommon for creatures with albinism to face challenges in the wild. For instance, catfish are often shunned by their peers, while albino alligators are at risk of being eaten by other alligators before reaching adulthood. Additionally, the lack of pigment in their eyes can affect their eyesight, making it difficult for them to forage or hunt for food. Furthermore, their fair skin makes it challenging to camouflage themselves from potential predators.
To have albinism, both parents must carry a recessive gene. According to Potgieter, this condition occurs only once in every 10,000 births of mammals in the wild. Last year, another rare sighting of an albino animal was captured in China's Sichuan province. This time, it was a white panda, which was only the third recorded sighting of this unique creature. Footage from a motion-activated camera showed the all-white bear crossing through a vast nature reserve in the mountains.
In May 2019, the same panda was photographed as a cub, and in 2020, it was filmed by similar devices in the area. These rare sightings serve as a reminder of the diversity and beauty of nature and the importance of protecting and preserving these unique creatures.
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