Just weeks after an immaculate giraffe was born in a US zoo, an immaculate foal was spotted in the wild in Namibia. A real sensation: according to the Namibian Giraffe Conservation Foundation GCF, each giraffe normally has a unique pattern that makes it individually recognizable. “Giraffes without spots are a rare phenomenon,” the foundation said.
Before the discovery of the spotless giraffe in a private nature reserve in central Namibia, there were only three records of spotless giraffes, all in zoos, according to the foundation: two in Japan in 1972 and most recently in the United States. According to the GCF, the immaculate animal in Namibia is the first giraffe in the world to be spotted in the wild.
Guide Eckart Demasius managed to take a snapshot of the immaculate foal, which was shared on Facebook:
Presumably a genetic mutation causing a missing pattern
The cause of the absence of the spots is unknown, said Julian Fennessy, conservation director for the GCF. It can be caused by mutations in one or more genes associated with the pattern, he said. However, without detailed genetic analysis, this remains speculation.
Three weeks ago, the birth of a giraffe in a zoo in the US state of Tennessee made international headlines. The animal was born on July 31, not with the usual light coat with brown spots, but with a uniform brown coat. This special giraffe was named Kipekee, which means ‘unique’ in Swahili.
Source: Krone
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