Albinos This Week

[Alwese]

I regularly take my macaws out in public and enjoy letting total strangers take cell phone pictures with them. This week I got a rare experience myself which will teach me to always bring my camera. An albino human being came up to me to have a picture taken with Kayko. She was African-American and her skin was white, her hair was yellow and the irises in her eyes were red. it was not a sunny day and she did have sunglasses, but they were up in her hair. I sent an E-mail about this to a friend and he sent me this picture of an albino moose photographed in Michigan near the Wisconsin border. Albinos occur naturally in all animals, but are extremely rare. Click on thumbnail to enlarge.

 

[Rana]

I remember seeing a documentary once that really had an impact on me, about albino twins somewhere on the african continent, it's no picnic for them!
They have constant burns from teh hot sun and no money for sunscreen or anything, walking miles everyday to fetch water etc, and ontop of it all, many local people believe Albino - Africans have some super healing powers so they are litteraly hunted down. Absolutely horrible!

Anyway, sorry for that dark little information.

Albino animals are cute though. I had an albino ferret for years, sweetest little critter..

here's a snip of that documentary for those who are interested - but be warned!!! it may be upsetting to some people!! the stories told by these people are very graphic.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIX6xCplyjE"]My Shocking Story - Albino Murder - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Alwese]

Rana, that was very interesting. To me it looks like African albinos are much more common than other races; maybe it is just the sheer number of people in Africa. Of the four albino humans I have seen face to face in my lifetime, three were African-American. Here is two more pictures of albino animals I found doing a little research. Our Zoo has an albino rattlesnake and the St. Augustine alligator farm has an albino alligator as well. Click on thumbnails to enlarge.

 

[Aims]

Those poor people in that documentary... What an unimaginable thing to go through.
I think African American albinos are more obvious. I don't think they are more common than Caucasian Albinos. (I hope hat didn't cause offence to anyone.)
One of the local zoos here has an albino peacock and I have seen lots of rabbits.

 

[Inverse]

Actually, Alibinism is more prevalent in Africans than in other races.
It's down to small, tribal communities and the relative scarcity of neighbouring tribes.
It's a result of not having a broad enough diversity of DNA or, to be more blunt, in-breeding causing genetic mutations.
The Albinism we see in our domestic rabbits and mice is generally from the selective breeding of mutated animals to produce albino offspring for aesthetic reasons.
/nerd

 

[BillsBirds]

I have known 3 human albinos, and only 1 was African American. I had a good friend in college who was a Caucasian Albino. Most of us know of Johnnie & Edgar Winters. And some who know Reggae music, know of Yellowman. Albinism happens more than you might think. In the natural world, but especially in the genetically managed pet trade. Right now, I have 2 albino budgies, and recently lost an albino cockatiel. Albinos of all species tend to have health problems with their skin & eyes, due to lack of color in both, from sun exposure. Plus, animals bred to be albino are often inbred, which brings on other problems, as well. Pure white animals with red eyes have always been fascinating. Yellow Lutinos with red eyes are another form of albinism. White albino budgies (w/ red eyes) are albinos of blue budgies, yellow lutino budgies (w/ red eyes) are albinos of green budgie stock.

 

[Inverse]

I have known 3 human albinos, and only 1 was African American.

They don't have to be American as well, just of African heritage.
The prevalence of albinism in African people is well documented.

 

[sonja]

That peacock is gorgeous!