DON’T WORRY, SHE’S ALL WHITE
THIS very rare albino kangaroo shocked a lucky motorist in Melbourne’s northeast.
The roo was seen carrying a regular brown joey in its pouch in a field in Smith’s Gully, 35km northeast of Melbourne, about 7.40am on Wednesday.
Sasha Uzunov, who snapped the picture of the magical marsupial, said initially he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I had obviously heard of albino animals but I had never seen a white kangaroo in my life,” he said.
“I had to stop the car and rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t just imagining it.”
Its dazzling white coat was in stark contrast to the surrounding green grass and the brown fur of its fellow kangaroos.
Mr Uzunov said: “Its fur looked so thick, and resembled that of a polar bear. It didn’t even have pink eyes, like I would expect for an albino.”
The roo’s rare colour irregularity (the odds are about 1 in 20,000) is caused by a genetic mutation, where there is an absence of pigmentation due to a lack of melanin in the body.
But albinos’ colouration is not good news for them.
It makes them easier prey for wild dogs, foxes, and even eagles, from the moment they are born.
And, much like humans with albinism, albino animals can be more susceptible to sunburn and cancer.
Mr Uzunov said he hoped others would be fortunate enough to catch a glance of the rare creature hopping around.