For the past two weeks, there has been murmurs on the radio and amongst the team of an incredibly unique sighting of an albino zebra foal moving quietly within a herd of plains zebra across the reserve.
At first glance it is almost impossible to miss. Where a zebra’s coat usually carries the sharp contrast of black and white stripes, this young foal appears washed white, its stripes faint and ghostlike. Against the surrounding herd it stands out immediately; a striking and unusual presence in the grasslands!
Albinism is a rare genetic condition caused by a lack of pigment in the skin and hair. In the wild, where camouflage and blending into a herd are vital for survival, this difference inevitably presents challenges… the foal’s white coat makes it far more conspicuous than the rest of the dazzle, something predators will almost certainly notice.
What has been encouraging, however, is the behaviour of the herd around it. In each of the few sightings our team has seen of it so far, the foal appears fully integrated among the herd of zebra, as well as often loosely associated with nearby wildebeest. This acceptance is significant. There is greater safety in numbers.
In the past, we witnessed an albino buffalo that was aggressively rejected by its own herd, a far more difficult start to life. In this case, however, it appears the young zebra seems to have been welcomed into the protective fold of the group.
A few years ago, Sean Zeederberg managed to capture an albino buffalo calf that unfortunately did not live very long.
In the images above and below of the zebra foal, you may also notice what appears to be mange or hair loss on parts of the foal’s face. This is not uncommon even in a perfectly typical zebra. Young animals often develop small patches of temporary hair loss as their coats grow and minor skin irritations come and go.
For example, when foals nurse from their mother, they often end up chafing their nuzzle on the inner thighs of their mother as they suckle. In this foal’s case, it also offers a reminder of another aspect of albinism: without protective pigment in the skin, these animals are often even more vulnerable to sun damage and related skin conditions, which is why it looks more severe on this particular foal.
In the wilderness, standing out can often place a target on your back. And yet, every so often, we encounter individuals that remind us just how diverse and remarkable nature can be, much like the female impala we’ve often seen over the years with horns (another example that immediately comes to mind).
A unique female impala that we speculate has a genetic anomaly that led to her possessing horns, a trait typically reserved only for male impala.
Sightings like these, therefore, feel all the more special – a quiet reminder that moments of uniqueness in the wilderness are rare, and always worth celebrating.
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on Not Quite Black And White