Rare white giraffes discovered in Kenya

  • 15/09/2017
The white giraffes were "extremely calm", according to conservationists.
The white giraffes were "extremely calm", according to conservationists. Photo credit: Hirola Conservation Program

A pair of giraffes with white skin have been found in a conservation area in Kenya.

The duo is a mother and its child - and far from having the patched orange fur of most other giraffes, their exterior is ivory white.

Locals in Garissa, east Kenya first claimed to see the animals back in June - but it's only now that footage and images have been captured of them.

"They were so close and extremely calm and seemed not disturbed by our presence," the Hirola Conservation Program said in a blog post.

"The mother kept pacing back and forth a few yards in front of us while signalling the baby giraffe to hide behind the bushes - a characteristic of most wildlife mothers in the wild to prevent the predation of their young."

Conservationists say the giraffes are the colour they are because they have a condition known as leucism, an ailment very similar to albinoism.

Following three white giraffe sightings in Africa in two years, the Hirola Conservation Program says it could mean white giraffes will become an increasingly common sight.

Newshub.