The Giraffe Conservation Foundation has revealed the discovery of a pristine Angolan giraffe in the wild with her mother at a private game reserve in Namibia.
The pristine giraffe was spotted just a few weeks after a similar one named Kipekee was born at a Tennessee zoo. There are only two such pristine giraffes in the world.
According to National Geographic, the pristine giraffe was noticed by tour guide Eckart Demasius, who photographed the brown calf while leading a wildlife drive on the 90,000-acre reserve.
Until a recent sighting at Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, environmentalists felt Kipeke was the last living pristine giraffe in the world. According to the foundation, only two absolutely pristine Angolan giraffes had ever been documented, both in Japanese zoos.
According to Julian Fennessy, co-founder of the wildlife group, the lack of spots is caused by “genetic mutations or recessive genotype in one or more genes related to the pattern, but without detailed genetic analysis, these are mere speculations.”
Fennessy, on the other hand, is concerned that the spotless giraffes are on the verge of extinction and has called on the public to help raise awareness and finances to conserve their dwindling population. There are currently an estimated 117,000 giraffes on the African continent.
