A white-flanked impala is not an albino! One often hears about albinism in the bush but it is really nothing out of the ordinary – it is just a stage where there is no pigment in the cells to give them their individual colour. There are other cases where animals are white in colour but not albino, something referred to as leucistic. This means they can maintain some of their original colour and their eyes are a normal colour, unlike an albino. We are lucky enough to have a leucistic impala born right here in Thornybush – not something that happens every day! We do hope that this little fellow makes it but lacking some of its natural camouflage makes it more difficult. However others like it have survived before. Because it won’t be able to blend in, it will be more of a target for leopards and lions so it will simply have to be more cautious than the rest of the herd. Approximately 6 years ago these animals were highly sought after for their abnormalities, with some of the prices going into the millions of rand – but this trend was short-lived as too many people bred the animals for the specific purpose of selling them. Nonetheless we have one of our own and it is more special to us because it is natural and a special sight to see!
