The Pink Elephant: Meet the Most Unusual Baby of Africa 0 8

Wildlife photographer Theo Potgieter captured a pink baby elephant in Kruger National Park. This little one is an albino — a rare genetic condition leads to the cessation of melanin production, the pigment responsible for skin and fur color.

Albinism occurs only in those elephants that have inherited this trait from both parents. Among elephants, albinism is extremely rare — about one in ten thousand.

Albinos in the wild have low chances of survival: the lack of melanin negatively affects their vision, and their light coloration makes them more visible to predators, depriving them of natural camouflage. Additionally, relatives sometimes avoid “white crows,” as recent studies involving catfish have shown.

However, the African baby elephant seems to have no such problems — the herd warmly welcomed the unusual calf. Moreover, this is not the first “pink” elephant encountered in this national park. The photographer had previously observed another albino calf here.

“In both recent observations of two different calves, the rest of the herd seemed to show care and patience towards these young individuals,” noted Potgieter.