Giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals, reaching a height of more than 18 feet. This stunning giraffe has not been photoshopped, she’s real! The 15-month-old beauty whose skin looks as if it was bleached, is suffering from ʟᴇᴜ.ᴄɪsᴍ. It’s a condition that results in a partial loss of pigmentation.
A guide named the giraffe Omo after a popular brand of local detergent.
Experts at the Wild Nature Institute first spotted Omo last year.
“We were lucky enough to resight her again this January, almost exactly one year later,” the Institute explained, in its blog post. “We are thrilled that she is still alive and well.”
She was spotted in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania by Dr Derek Lee, founder and scientist at the Wild Nature Institute.
“Omo appears to get along with the other giraffes, she has always been seen with a large group of normally coloured giraffe – they don’t seem to mind her different colouring,” he explained.
“We and our partners are working on giraffe conservation and anti-ᴘᴏᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ to help give Omo and her relatives a better chance of survival. We hope that she lives a long life and that some day she has calves of her own.”
The African Wildlife Foundation estimates the species has lost 40 percent of its population in just 30 years, and recent reports show ᴘᴏ.ᴀᴄʜɪɴɢ and wildlife trafficking are contributing to this decline.
There are more than 68,000 giraffes in the world, the foundation said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the species as vulnerable.
