White giraffe ‘discovery’ trashed

MARC NKWAME in Arusha

REPORTS surrounding the alleged ‘discovery’ of a white giraffe in Tarangire National Park, within the Northern Tourism Circuit here, have astounded wildlife experts.

White giraffes, which are, invariably, albinos, have been sighted in the area for decades. The year-old giraffe calf, which was spotted at Tarangire National Park and believed to have a condition called leucism, caused a stir across conservationist circles in the country, who were surprised, if not dismayed, by a foreign researcher Mr Derek Lee who is trying to stake a personal claim of discovery. But there are other ‘white giraffes’ in Tanzania.

The Public Relations Manager for Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) Mr Paschal Shelutete, has stated clearly that, it was a case of ordinary albinism and nothing to write homeabout.

“Certainly, no one should try to enter into record books for this alleged discovery. It is not a discovery at all,” he said. After all, many residents in the area and game rangers have seen the giraffe many times, he said.

About ten years ago, the Daily News on Saturday sister paper ‘Sunday News,’ carried a story about a white giraffe that intrigued researchers at Katavi National Park. However, not much was said about the matter.

Mr Lee reported the sighting of a similar animal in Tarangire recently. The National Geographic and other media outlets published the story. The foreign press renamed the Giraffe ‘Omo’ in stories about what they believed to be a ‘discovery,’ of a strange coloured, tall animal. The giraffe, on the other hand, happen to be the national symbol of Tanzania.

Last week, two Kiswahili tabloids also treated the Tarangire giraffe story calling it a remarkable discovery, five years after the ‘Daily News,’ sister paper reported about the sighting of a similar animal.

Last year, a snow-white buffalo was spotted in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and when wildlife experts set out to trace the strange animal, they realised that, the white buffalo was not alone. They saw a more surprising one featuring black fur with white spots roaming in the area.

A veteran journalist, Mr Emmanuel Chacha pointed out in his Facebook that it was surprising that a foreign tourist should claim the right of discovering a white giraffe in Tanzania, an animal that was always being seen by local residents and game rangers alike.