Leucistic impala photographed in South Africa

Leucistic impala

July 2008. One of our readers, Kristen Little, was recently on safari in South Africa wghen she saw the unusual white impala. Amazingly, in 2006, Kristen found, and photographed, a white giraffe when on safari in Botswana.

White animals are often mistakenly thought to be albinos. In fact their unusual condition is often caused by leucism, a rare genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment in the animal's hair and skins. Unlike albinos who have characteristically red eyes, leucistic animals and birds have normal colouring in their eyes.

Click here to see our gallery of leucistic animals.

All the images of this impala were taken by Kristen Little.