In an extraordinarily rare moment, a wildlife photographer took pictures of one of the last leucistic giraffes in the world.
It is believed that there is just one leucistic giraffe left in the world after poachers killed the other two in Kenya.
Matthew Durell, a game ranger at Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, was returning from a beach holiday when he spotted the rare giraffe with leucism, a rare genetic condition that causes loss of pigmentation.
The 30-year-old photographer said he was shocked when he saw the magnificent giant crossing the road.
“I was completely shocked when I first saw it because of its color and the fact that it was on the road in the middle of nowhere,” Matthew said.
“I was returning from a beach holiday the day I took the picture—I guess the last thing I was expecting to see there.”
Matthew has been taking pictures of wildlife for at least four years professionally, but he had never seen such a giraffe before.
“I’ve been taking photos of wildlife for as long as I can remember but professionally for four years now but it was the first time I was seeing a giraffe like that in my 30 years of age,” he said.
The photographer said he felt incredibly lucky to have seen the giraffe with a rare skin pigmentation, but also expressed his concern for the animal.
“I’m not sure of their exact numbers to be honest but I don’t think there are very many of them in the wild,” he said.
“Because of their rarity, I think animals like the leucistic giraffe are targeted for the black market trade.”
