Kenya: Walking With Ghosts

Walking with Ghosts

Spirits don’t really walk among us, but one could get that feeling after seeing a pair of ghostly white giraffes strolling by.

After a villager in Kenya’s Garissa County spotted a porcelain-hued mother giraffe and her doppelganger calf near Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy, conservationists hurried to film the rare sight. Their recording is thought to be the first known footage of white giraffes, the New York Times reports.

But while white giraffes themselves are rare, their condition is well known: It’s a genetic condition called leucism, which affects the pigment in skin cells and causes a snow-like hue.

Animals with leucism – scientists have documented the condition in penguins, lions and peacocks, for example – often retain pigment in their soft tissues, unlike those with albinism which don’t produce any melanin throughout their entire body. That’s why animals with leucism retain their eye color.

Now that the ghostly giraffes have been spotted, scientists are hoping to keep track of them to measure their life span. With fewer than 100,000 remaining, giraffes are already listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and animals with leucism are highly revered for their pelts and coveted for their mysticism.

Their beauty is undeniable. Take a look for yourself here.