GPS Tracker Fitted to Help The World's Only Known White Giraffe

GPS Tracker Fitted to Help The World's Only Known White Giraffe

BBC | Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy
Rangers fear the unique white skin of the giraffe may be make the animal vulnerable to proachers

The world's only known white giraffe has been fitted with a GPS tracking tracker to help protect it from approaches as it grazes in northeast Kenya, conservationists say.

A conservation group said rangers could monitor the lone male giraffe’s movements in real-time. The giraffe has a rare genetic condition called leucism, which causes the loss of skin pigmentation.

Rangers fear the giraffe could suffer the same fate as his relatives, a female and her seven-month-old calf with similar white skin.

The non-profit group said the tracking device would give hourly updates on the giraffe’s whereabouts, enabling rangers to “keep the unique animal safe from poachers”.

Giraffes have been designated as a vulnerable species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, with an estimated population of 68,293 globally.

Source: The Happy Broadcast | BBC