A rare ‘pink’ baby elephant spotted in a herd in the Kruger National Park in South Africa has turned into a viral sensation. The adorable elephant is said to be just three months old and was spotted by Safari ranger Tim Jansen van Vuuren. He stood out from the rest of the gray herd with his bright pink skin.
It is believed the unique calf is around two or three weeks old at the time of filming and is definitely the smallest in the herd. It’s still unclear from the photos if the calf is a true 𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑜 or if the pink/white coloring is caused by a genetic condition called leucism.
𝐴𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑚 is a condition characterized by a total lack of melanin, which contains natural pigments that give skin and eyes their color.
As a result, real 𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑜 animals have not just reddish-pink skin, but also exceedingly pale eyes (often pink or red as the blood vessels show through). Because leucism only causes a partial loss of pigmentation, it has little effect on the eyes.
Whether 𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑜 or leucistic, this tiny elephant has a tough road ahead of it. Animals carrying these conditions stick out of their natural habitat making them more susceptible to attack from 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠.
According to wildlife experts, a lack of skin pigmentation is what causes 𝐴𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑚. But despite its breath-taking effect, this condition could cause eyesight. And sometimes even 𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠.
This baby elephant might look really cute but has a tough life ahead. Animals carrying these conditions stick out of their natural habitat and are more vulnerable to attack from predators. They are often sensitive to light and may have health problems associated with 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑚𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.
However, it’s not to say that the adorable calf won’t make it through to adulthood – we’ve seen sightings of adult cougars, dolphins, and humpback whales which suggest that some all-white individuals do manage to beat the odds.
The last recorded sighting of a calf in the Greater Kruger Park was in 2016, when a calf identical in age and look to the current discovery was sighted in the reserve’s northern reaches.
An 𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑜 calf was photographed by a BBC video team just across the border in Botswana in 2009. This little white child seems to be conscious of its heightened vulnerability to the strong African sun.
“Already the two-to-three-month-old calf seems to be walking in the shade of its mother. I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent, and masters of survival.”, Ecologist Dr. Mike Chase said.
