Super Rare White Giraffe Spotted in Tanzania May be Targetted by Poachers

First Posted: Jan 26, 2016 11:22 AM EST

An extremely rare white giraffe has been spotted in Tanzania. With a condition called leucism, this giraffe is unable to make pigment.

The white giraffe was first spotted by the Wild Nature Institute, who saw the animal as a calf during a population survey in 2015. Named Omo, which is a popular brand of detergent there, the giraffe isn't an albino.

Instead, the giraffe is leucistic. If she was albino, she would lack pigment everywhere and would have red or blue eyes. And while many of her skin cells are incapable of making pigment, some still are-which makes her pale rather than completely white.

Currently, Omo is 15 months old, which means she's survived being a calf. It's very likely that Omo will make it to adulthood. However, some are concerned that she'll be targeted by poachers due to her unique coloring.

"We and our partners are working on giraffe conservation and anti-poaching to help give Omo and her relatives a better chance of survival," said Derek Lee, founder and scientist at the Wild Nature Institute, in an interview with The Daily Mail. "We hope that she lives a long life and that some day she has calves of her own."

You can check out pictures of Omo here.

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TagsAnimals, Animal Behavior, Animal, Giraffe, Giraffes, Genetics, Genetic Mutation