Rare albino panda caught on camera in China: state media

MAY 26, 2019

A rare all-white panda has been caught on camera at a nature reserve in southwest China, showing albinism exists among wild pandas in the region, state media reported.

The spotless, red-eyed animal was photographed while trekking through the forest mid-April in southwestern Sichuan province, said official news agency Xinhua on Saturday.

The panda is an albino between one to two years old, said Li Sheng, a researcher specialising in bears at Peking University, who was quoted in Xinhua's report.

The Wolong National Nature Reserve—where the animal was spotted—told AFP it had no further details about the albino panda.

More than 80 percent of the world's wild pandas live in Sichuan, with the rest in Shaanxi and Gansu province.

Read on

Rare Albino Dolphin Spotted Off California Coast

By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor | June 14, 2017 09:08am ET 

A 3-year-old albino dolphin was spotted swimming with its mom in California's Monterey Bay last week, and the little one appears healthy, scientists say.

The crew of a Blue Ocean Whale Watch boat saw the albino Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) swimming with its mom on June 7 about 3 miles (nearly 5 kilometers) offshore near Moss Landing. They identified it as the same animal that was last seen on Sept. 29, 2015, said Kate Cummings, a naturalist and co-owner of the whale-watching company. Before that, other tour operators had seen the albino animal in Monterey Bay in 2014, when it was a small calf, she said.

"Albinism in the wild is incredibly rare, and I believe this is the only known albino Risso's dolphin in the eastern Pacific," Cummings told Live Science.

Albino animals like this one are white (or pink) because the cells that normally produce melanin — the pigment that gives skin, hair and eyes their coloration — are not doing their job (or not doing it well). Its pink eyes result from light reflecting off the red blood vessels in the dolphin's retinas, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Nonalbino animals have melanin in their pupils that absorbs incoming light, keeping it from reflecting off of the retina.

This white dolphin may look cute, but albino animals often have health problems. "Albino animals may be more prone to skin problems because there's no melanin to protect the skin from UV [ultraviolet] rays, and they can have poor eyesight and hearing," Cummings said. "As far as we can tell, this juvenile appears healthy."

Continued 

Rare albino squirrel abandoned on London doorstep defies the odds

 Mark Molloy 

29 APRIL 2016 • 10:27AM

If you thought Britain’s squirrel wars were all about red v grey, then these photos of a completely white member of the furry rodent’s family may just surprise you.

CREDIT: BNPS

Albino squirrels are incredibly rare and staff at Folly Wildlife Rescue, a wildlife sanctuary based in Tunbridge Wells, were left stunned when one arrived at their door.

The all-white baby rodent, now named Polly, was close to death when she was abandoned and left in a cardboard box found on the doorstep of a property in London.

It was thought the squirrel, found with a bloody face and shivering in the box that was filling up with water, would not survive when she was initially taken in by the RSPCA.

Experts have speculated the squirrel was rejected by its mother and pushed from the nest because of her pale fur and later picked up by a member of the public.

The young squirrel is now on the slow road to recovery after responding well to treatment at the Folly Wildlife Rescue centre where she is being hand-reared.

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Taiji legal battle: court backs activist over baby dolphin kept in aquarium

Victory for animal rights after Japanese court awards Australian activist 110,000 yen after museum refused her entry to check on captive bottlenose

Justin McCurry in Osaka

Saturday 26 March 2016 01.04 GMTLast modified on Saturday 26 March 201601.12 GMT

Animal rights activists have claimed a significant victory in its battle to end Japan’sdolphin slaughter after a court ruled that an aquarium in Taiji – where hundreds of dolphins are killed every year – acted illegally when it refused entry to an Australian campaigner.

The court in Wakayama, western Japan, on Friday awarded 110,000 yen (£690) to Sarah Lucas, head of Australia for Dolphins, who had attempted to enter the Taiji whale museum in 2014 but was turned away and shown a cardboard sign saying “anti-whalers” were not welcome.

Lucas had intended to check on the welfare of a baby albino bottlenose that had been kept at the museum since being separated from its pod and captured earlier in the year. The museum reportedly paid $500,0000 (£354,000) for the animal.

Lucas said the rare dolphin, called Angel, was being kept in a tiny crowded tank full of chlorine, and was being bullied by other dolphins.

“The legal battle to save Angel is much bigger than a rescue mission to save one albino dolphin calf,” Lucas said after the verdict.

“This win proves the Taiji whale museum, the institution at the heart of the dolphin hunting trade, behaved illegally. It also shows the Taiji dolphin hunts are not above the law, which means the Japanese legal system can be used to end the cruel dolphin hunts for good.”

Tetsuo Kirihata, deputy chief of the Taiji museum, said he was satisfied with the verdict because the initial demand for damages had been for about 3m yen.

“We feel much of our case was taken into account by the court,” he told Associated Press. Kirihata said the dolphin was eating well and getting along with other dolphins, with regular blood tests showing it was healthy. What to some might look like bullying was, in fact, “part of regular activity in nature,” he added.

The museum is owned by the town government in Taiji, the setting for the Oscar-winning 2009 documentary The Cove, which showed fishermen driving pods of dolphins into shallow water before killing them with knives.

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'Demon' hedgehog steals hearts of internet users despite bizarre appearance

An albino hedgehog has become a fast favourite among the internet masses after its owner posted a picture diary of the animal

5:00PM GMT 26 Nov 2014

An albino hedgehog has become an overnight internet star after its owner posted pictures of her pink eyed pet online.

The animal's owner Tokiko Kojima, 25, posted a series of images of her normal pet hedgehog alongside its albino doppelganger.

The combination of quirky and cute meant that her photoset spread like wildfire and was even syndicated by a popular website.

Tokyo-based Tokiko's hedgehogs are notably rotund, enjoying an entirely sedentary lifestyle.

Continued ...

Lobstermen Catch 2 Albino Lobsters In 1 Week (PHOTOS)

Posted: 09/06/2014 9:09 am EDT Updated: 09/06/2014 9:59 am EDT

OWLS HEAD, Maine (AP) — It's no white lie: Two lobstermen in Maine caught a pair of rare albino lobsters within a week.

The Portland Press Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1qlk6Dn) Bret Philbrick caught the curious crustacean off of Owls Head on Thursday and Joe Bates caught one off the Rockland breakwater days earlier. Albino lobsters are believed to be about one in 100 million.

The lobsters are in a crate at Owls Head Lobster Co. One will go to the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay Harbor and the other to Brooks Trap Mill in Thomaston. The lobsters are under legal size and would normally have to be returned to the ocean but the Marine Patrol made an exception.

Continued ...

Human 'Albino' Gene Found in Dogs

By Elizabeth Palermo, Live Science Contributor | May 16, 2014 07:08am ET

Dogs and people have more in common than a love of Frisbees and long walks on the beach. A new study finds that certain dogs, just like certain humans, carry a gene mutation that causes albinism — a condition that results in little or no pigment in the eyes, skin and hair. 

The study by researchers at Michigan State University identifies the exact genetic mutation that leads to albinism in Doberman pinschers, a discovery that has eluded veterinarians and dog breeders until now. Interestingly, the same mutated gene that causes albinism in this dog breed is also associated with a form of albinism in humans.

"What we found was a gene mutation that results in a missing protein necessary for cells to be pigmented," study co-author Paige Winkler, a doctoral student in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, said in a statement.

Continued

Albino alligator gets acupuncture in Brazil

Vets have used the ancient Asian practice of acupuncture to help the back problems of Bino the albino alligator at Sao Paulo Aquarium in Brazil.

Biologists say that acupuncture on animals is becoming increasingly common around the world.

Bino is regaining the use of his hind legs and tail thanks to what is expected to be a continuing course of treatment.

Tim Allman reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23874522

Albino jackal spotted in Iran

White jackal caught by camera trap

July 2013. An (probably) albino jackal, a medium-sized canid which is widespread in western Asia, has been caught on camera in south-eastern Iran during a research project into the population survey of the Asiatic cheetah in the Ravar Wildlife Refuge.

Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive gene alleles and is known to affect all vertebrates, including humans. Albinism has not been common among golden jackals but there are few cases from west Asia dating back to 1970s. In contrast, recently melanistic golden jackal has been also reported from Turkey.

A ‘true' albino has no colouring at all, and many features such as eyes and ears, appear pink. This jackal does have a hint of colouring around the eyes and nose, so it may be ‘leucistic', or more probably, this is just a trick of the light as the image is taken at night.

Leucism (or Leukism) 

Leucism is a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly. This can result in unusual white patches appearing on the animal, or, more rarely, completely white creatures. 

Click here to see our gallery of albino and leucistic animals and birds. 

Ravar Wildlife Refuge

With an area of 15,000 km2, Ravar Wildlife Refuge is part of the Asiatic cheetah monitoring program that the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) leads within multiple reserves in Iran in partnership with Iranian Department of Environment, Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and Panthera. Since early autumn 2012, the ICS' experts have been surveying the area while training game wardens with monitoring skills. However, unlike other cheetah habitats in the country, Ravar is not an easy area to do field surveys, as it is near the border with Afghanistan and has a high chance of encountering drug smuggling caravans. The project will continue until the end of summer 2013.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/albino-jackal.html

Two Rare Albino Humpback Whales Spotted on Yearly Migration

A famous albino humpback whale was reportedly spotted with a similarly rare all-white companion off the coast of Australia. The two whales are heading north as part of an annual migration that can bring up to 15,000 humpback whales to the Great Barrier Reef for their mating season.

The albino male, named Migaloo (an Aboriginal word that translates to "white fella"), was previously the world's only documented white humpback whale, and scientists are now hoping to conduct DNA tests to determine if the two whales are related, reported the Herald Sun.

Migaloo was first seen in 1991 near Cairns, in the Australian state of Queensland, and was estimated to be about 4 years old at the time, according to the Herald Sun. The 46-foot-long (14 meters) albino whale is believed to have at least one all-white offspring, after photographs of a white humpback calf emerged in 2011.

http://www.livescience.com/37802-albino-humpback-whale-migration.html

Rare shark discovery the second in a week

A second rare shark has been found washed up on Muriwai Beach in less than a week.

Scientists were stunned when a heavily pregnant 2.6m oceanic whitetip shark was found dead on the beach 40km west of Auckland eight days ago.

The shark and six full-term pups removed from her belly have been preserved for research at the Auckland Museum.

albino school shark

But the beach again became the resting place of a rare creature when a 1.2m albino school shark was found dead on the shore on Thursday.

Department of Conservation shark biologist Clinton Duffy said school sharks were common but albino ones were not. He had never seen one before.

"I couldn't believe we got an ocean whitetip, that was a huge surprise, but then to have it followed up by this ... Albinism is something that occurs in all animals, it's just very unusual to see."

The shark was large for its species and had done well to survive into adulthood, Duffy said. It did not appear to be injured and he did not know why it had died. It was buried before tissue samples could be taken.

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Rare albino crow is a real hoot as a house guest

WILDLIFE fan John Dowding is a real bird brain.

And now his bird keeping hobby has taken flight after he got his very own adopted animal to crow about.

1. ​
   John with Polaris

• •
 
• •

The dad-of-three, 45, has taken albino crow Polaris under his wing after it was found helpless in the wild.

Now the rare bird enjoys life at home in Hucclecote with John, his wife and kids.

John said: "A chap out at Monmouth had found it, and put it in a field, but it stayed there, it had an injured wing.

"He took it to a vet, who gave it an injection and said if it didn't work, he would get rid of it, but the man didn't want that so he called the International Birds of Prey Centre in Newent."

The centre, where John works, knew its employee was a crow fan, and soon Polaris had happily moved into one of his aviaries.

John said: "They can have problems in the wild due to the fact they're albino.

"He spends a lot of time in the house with us. He likes sitting on heads and shoulders, and just generally being around people.

"He's just got a really nice character."

John said he often has owls come to live at his home while he's training them, to get them used to him, so having another bird around is proving an absolute hoot.
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Rare-albino-crow-real-hoot-house-guest/story-16355182-detail/story.html

'Wacky' the albino blackbird is one of a kind

A RARE white bird has had animal carers at Oak and Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre all in a flutter.

The pure albino blackbird with red eyes is so rare it could be the only one of its kind in England.

Known as “Wacky” by the staff, the two-week-old bird found alone and unable to fly by a hedge in Down Ampney, is barely recognisable as a common blackbird.

The fledgling even stumped some of the animal carers at the Somerford Keynes rescue centre when it was brought in yesterday.

And it was only because of Oak and Furrows founder Serena Stevens’ extensive knowledge of birds after 25 years in the business that she could identify its breed.

“I’ve only seen a photo in a book once before,” she said. “The chances of us having one is so rare I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to see one again in my lifetime.

Serena, 48, said the reason that albino blackbirds were so unique was because they often do not live longer than a year.

Oak and Furrows founder Serena Stevens compares the albino fledgling with a regular baby blackbird

“They are not camouflaged and don’t really breed because they are rejected by other birds,” she said.

The Wildlife rescue centre takes in up to 3,000 animals a year, so animal carer Torie Cole, 26, said it was quite a coup to get something that they had not seen before.

“To see something that is as rare as this is just mind blowing,” she said.

Oak and Furrows will care for the flegling along with two regular baby blackbirds for a few more months and then hope to release it into the wild.

To find out more information about the wildlife charity and to donate, visit oandf.co.uk, call 01285 862439 or email oakandfurrowswrc@msn.com

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/9726124._Wacky__the_albino_blackbird_is_one_of_a_kind/

Biologists studying endangered Brazil dolphins find albino baby among them

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian biologists have found an extremely rare example of an albino dolphin among an endangered species that lives off the southern coast of South America.

The research group, based at Univille university in Santa Catarina, said Thursday that it was the first recorded instance of an albino in the pontoporia blainvillei species, a very shy type of dolphin that rarely jumps out of the water. It’s known in Brazil as Toninha and in Argentina and Uruguay as the La Plata or Franciscana dolphin.

Camilla Meirelles Sartori, the lead biologist of Project Toninhas, said she first saw the white calf with pinkish fins at the end of October. Her group photographed him in early November.

“We were surprised, shocked,” Sartori said. “It’s very small, and the color is really different. We didn’t know what it was at first.”

Sartori said the baby was with an adult, probably its mother. The young live on their mother’s milk until they are six months old and remain dependent on the adult until they’re a year old.

The species is endangered. Its dolphins have long, thin snouts and get easily tangled in fishing nets. They can drown or die of stress if not quickly released, Sartori said.

Since Herman Melville created the albino whale Moby Dick in 1851, rare albino marine mammals have held a special fascination.

Read more here ...

Four 'ugly' mutant albino turtles donated to aquarium

Four mutant albino turtles that have been donated to an aquarium are set to be 'heroes in a soft shell', with their new owners considering naming them after the legendary Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles.
Staff at the centre are now considering naming the foursome Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael after the animated series Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles.
The Chinese soft-shelled turtles were handed in to the Blue Reef Aquarium by a university student who was moving out of the city and felt unable to look after them any longer. (We like to believe this is because the turtles spent their days battling the evil Krang and his sidekick Shredder.)

Blue Reef's Lindsay Holloway said: 'With their soft shells, extremely long neck and tube-like nostrils which they use like a snorkel they are definitely one of the world's most unusual species of turtle.
'Some people say they are ugly but I think they're adorable.

'The fact that these individuals are also albino makes them even more peculiar to look at.'

The turtles, which are albino through genetic mutation, are thought to be five years old and are expected to live till they are 30. They will be added to an open-top freshwater display of giant carp.

'Once fully grown they can reach up to 30 centimetres in length and will provide a fascinating new addition to our giant carp display.'

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/830278-four-mutant-albino-turtles-donated-to-aquarium#ixzz1ce5hG424

Albino lobster among catch of unusual species

A “ONE in 100 million” albino lobster, a snipe eel and a wreckfish are among a medley of unusual marine species caught by Irish fishermen over several weeks.

A separate lobster with two crusher claws instead of one has also been landed, along with a sea lamprey, according to Sea Fisheries Protection Authority officers Siubhán Ní Churraidhín and Declan MacGabhann.

The female white/albino lobster, named “Victoria” by her captors, was caught by Declan Clinton and crew on the Virtuous , while fishing for prawns some 34 miles east of Clogherhead, Co Louth, and landed into Howth, Co Dublin, on Thursday night.

Experts estimate there is a one in 100 million chance of making such a catch, according to Mr MacGabhann, who says “Victoria” is only the fifth albino lobster recorded in the last century in Irish waters.

Earlier this year an orange lobster – named “Billy” after the infamous Dutch king – was landed by Séamus Kirk of Clogherhead.

Local fisherman quipped at the time that the xanthochromic lobster was reacting to the election of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in the Louth constituency, and heading North.

It had a 30 in a million chance of being caught, Mr MacGabhann told The Irish Times .

“Victoria” is on display at the Sea Life centre in Bray, Co Wicklow, while “Billy” is attracting as much interest as the new resident penguins at the Mara Beo aquarium in Dingle, Co Kerry. A bright blue lobster (one in three million) was found earlier this month off the Clare coast by fisherman Gerry Sweeney.

Not to be outdone, the west coast has also created a few new records.

A male lobster with normal rusty red pigmentation but with two crusher claws instead of one has been found in a pot by currach skipper Mattie Conneely off Rossaveal. It has been donated to Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill.

US marine scientists writing of this phenomenon in the Journal of Experimental Zoology said that only one of the paired crushers behaves as a normal crusher.

“The other claw has only the appearance of a crusher claw but behaves as a cutter claw,” marine expert at the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, Declan Quigley, has said.

Ms Ní Churraidhín, officer with the authority at Rossaveal, has been inundated with other specimens in the past couple of weeks, including a snipe eel caught on the Porcupine Bank by Ray Healy and Paul Conneely of the Maria Magdalena III .

The snipe eel ( Nemichthys scolopaceus ) was first recorded in Irish waters in May 1935, according to Mr Quigley, and there are only 27 known records of it here to date. He notes that their size may allow them to slip through the mesh of trawls, and they could also be discarded as having no commercial value.

A wreckfish and an unusual crustacean with no eyes, which may be a polychelid lobster, were also caught by Seánín Ned Ó Flatharta of the Glór na dTonn fishing vessel.

The wreckfish ( Polyprion americanus ) was caught on the Porcupine. The deep-water species inhabits caves and shipwrecks – hence its name. The Galway vessel Maggie C recorded a similar specimen a year ago.

The wreckfish was bought by Stephane Griesbach of Gannet Fishmongers and sold on to Oscar’s restaurant in Galway city, according to Ms Ní Churraidhín.

The sea lamprey was found attached to trawl doors of the Sean Oisín fishing vessel while also working on the Porcupine, according to Ms Ní Churraidhín. The vessel has just completed a survey for prawns on the bank.

Lampreys, which are often found in rivers, are regarded as very rare so far offshore, she says.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0813/1224302379306.html

Twin kangaroos

Salt and Pepper, a pair of newborn non identical twin kangaroos born in Australia, are being cared for by a zoo. According to a zoologist, the twin joeys were a "one in a million" birth. He said: "It's rare enough that twin joeys are born, and to have one of those an albino is very uncommon".

All-white moose sighted near Delta Junction

by Tim Mowry / tmowry@newsminer.com
May 27, 2011

FAIRBANKS — The white moose that has been seen kicking around Delta Junction the past two years is evidently still kicking.

Jacob White was on the Tanana River in his riverboat Tuesday night when he saw the moose on the bank of the river in roughly the same area it was seen by boaters last fall.

“I was just cruising up the river,” White said. “I saw it from about a half mile away. I thought it was a horse for a second. Then it was like, ‘Wait a second; that’s an albino moose.’”

White snapped some photos of the all-white moose, which his wife, Ana, posted on her Facebook page.

“I wish I had gotten better pictures,” White said.

While there has been some debate as to whether the moose is a true albino or not, White said the moose had pink eyes and a pink nose.

Albino moose are not common, but they occasionally appear as the result of a double recessive gene passed through generations, according to state wildlife biologists.

The white moose, which appears to be a cow, was first spotted in Delta a little more than a year and a half ago as a young calf with its mother, a normal-colored, brown cow. Since then, it has been spotted several times in the same general area around Tanana Loop Extension and Jack Warren Road. Before the latest sighting and pictures taken by White, it had been several months since the last sighting.

“She’s within 10 miles of where she was seen last year,” White said, not wanting to divulge the specific location to avoid hordes of sightseers who might harass the animal. “She’s out feeding on some grasses on the Tanana River. She’s looking pretty good. We’re glad it’s still running around.”

Dave Davenport, a technician at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Delta Junction, said “chances are good” that it’s the same white moose that has been spotted around Delta Junction for the past year and a half.

Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - All white moose sighted near Delta Junction

http://newsminer.com/bookmark/13478793-All-white-moose-sighted-near-Delta-Junction

Cub's all white now

Casper was found starving to death in Flackwell Heath

Thursday May 5,2011
By Daily Express reporter

THIS rare “one in a million” white fox cub has been nursed back from the brink of death on a diet of dog food.

The four-week-old cub, named Casper after the all-white cartoon ghost, was found starving to death in Flackwell Heath near High Wycombe, Bucks.

He was cared for at St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital in Bucks where staff now plan to give the cub a home for life.

“We managed to save him just in time and he’s doing great now,” said Les Stocker, founder of the hospital.

“Casper is so rare he has got to be one in a million.

“In 30 years, I’ve only ever heard of one other white fox and that had been shot and stuffed!

“I don’t think we’ll release him back into the wild – we don’t want him to get shot.

“We plan to build him a special fox enclosure as he really is special.”

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/244788/Cub-s-all-white-nowCub-s-all-white-now

It's all white to be a rare sight in the bush

A standout ... one of the albino wallaroos that has been spotted at Wolgan Valley
in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa

THAT is not an escaped lab mouse on steroids peering through the grass of the Wolgan conservation area in the Blue Mountains.

Nor is it a giant white rabbit on its way to a tea party.

It is, in fact, a rare albino wallaroo, one of three that have been delighting staff and visitors at the Wolgan Valley Resort and Spa.

"We've had sightings of one mature albino wallaroo on the property since opening 18 months ago, but to have two more spotted on the property is incredibly rare and exciting for us and our guests," the resort's general manager Joost Heymeijer said.

The resort's field guides have noticed the albino wallaroos are more timid and less trusting of humans than their grey brothers and sisters, and wait until it is darker to come out to feed.

The education program co-ordinator at Featherdale Wildlife Park in Doonside, Peter Spradbrow, said albinism is a rare condition where the skin, hair and eyes lack the pigment that gives them colour.

It is observed across many animal species, but in the wild it is difficult for an albino creature to reach adulthood.

''Albino animals are particularly at risk of predation because they stand out from their environment,'' Mr Spradbrow said.

And, to make matters worse, they suffer from skin cancers and other skin diseases because they lack the pigment which protects them from UV radiation.

Albinism often shows up when both parents pass on the albinism gene. Some individuals who look normal carry the gene but are not albino.

Featherdale has albino laughing kookaburras, blue-tongue lizards, common wallaroos and tammar wallabies. ''The weirdest example of an albino that I have ever seen is an albino red-bellied black-snake,'' Mr Spradbrow said.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/its-all-white-to-be-a-rare-sight-in-the-bush-20110416-1dio1.html
(Via Chad Arment)