LEUCISTIC “BLONDE” ZEBRA ENCOUNTERED AT SERENGETI TANZANIA
The Wildebeest Migration is an interesting yet amazing phenomenon to experience and follow. The herds move between Tanzania and Kenya as they search for food and fresher pastures.
Recently in February while on a Migration Calving safari, driving out in the Ndutu – Serengeti plains, we encountered a big herd of Wildebeest and Zebras as they were moving towards a waterhole in the Ndutu plains.
As we drove towards the waterhole to try and capture images of the wildlife something caught our attention. We drove closer to try and get a better glance and look and the Zebra stood our between the dazzle of Black and White stripes. The plains were covered with thousands of Zebras and Wildebeest as far as the eye could see. This was the calving season at Lake Ndutu southern of the Serengeti.
We parked our safari jeep as we tried to get a good photo of the Zebra but it kept to the herd and they moved together as we managed to get a few clear images.
A Leucistic Zebra, (Partially Albino) well-hidden and camouflaged among the dazzle of stripes. A Leucistic Zebra is a blonde Zebra that has less of the black pigmentation than the other normal melanin pigmentation on the normal Zebra. This gives the Leucistic Zebra a “Blonde” look.
The Unusual appearance in the Zebra stripes would make it stand out and an easy target for Predators. This particular Zebra being an adult seems to have survived the migration and kept of predation by the cats roaming the Mara and Serengeti.
The Zebras kept moving towards the water hole for a drink and we managed a last shot of the Zebra as they mingled away as a herd. We hope to catch up with the Zebra again on our Wildlife Migration Safaris soon.