Most giraffes have tan or yellow coats that are spotted with brown, square shapes. But have you seen a white giraffe? If you haven’t then you should check out Kenya’s white giraffe on the internet. This is the only known white giraffe in the world.

And to protect the unique species from poachers, a GPS tracking device has been implanted on the animal. According to a conservation group, rangers would be bel to monitor the lone male giraffe’s movements in real-time through this tracking device.

What made the giraffe turn white?

The giraffe has a rare genetic condition called ‘leucism.’ This causes the loss of skin pigmentation that is why instead of normal colors that we are used to on giraffes, this one has a white color. He is thought to be the last of his kind because poachers have already killed two of his family members back in March.

It was back in 2016 when the white giraffes were first spotted in Kenya, just two months after a sighting in Tanzania. Then a year later, the white giraffes made headlines again when the mother and her calf from the conservancy in Kenya’s Garissa County were finally caught on camera. However, poachers found them.

Now, the rangers worry that this giraffe could also suffer the same fate as his relatives. If they were alive, there could have been a female and her seven-month-old calf with similar white skin roaming the fields of North-East Kenya today. The dead bodies of the giraffes were found in a conservation area in Kenya’s north-eastern Garissa County where the male giraffe is currently living alone.

Now with this lone white giraffe, the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy makes sure that will never get the chance to kill him. They are the ones who oversee the wildlife in the area. They said that the tracking device was attached to one of the giraffe’s horns on November 8th. The non-profit group said in a statement that this tracking device would give hourly updates on the giraffe’s whereabouts. This will enable the rangers to “keep the unique animal safe from poachers”.

Mohammed Ahmednoor who is the manager of the group thanked conservationists for their help in protecting the giraffe as well as other wildlife. He said, “The giraffe’s grazing range has been blessed with good rains in the recent past and the abundant vegetation bodes well for the future of the white male.”

In response, the Kenya Wildlife Society which is the main conservation body in the east-African country stated that it was happy to assist in the ongoing efforts to protect the “unique wildlife like the only known white giraffe.”

Giraffes are native to more than 15 African countries. They are the world’s tallest mammals. Despite their size and their ability to protect themselves, they are still hunted by poachers for their hides, meat, and body parts.

The Africa Wildlife Foundation stated that some 40% of the giraffe population has disappeared in the last 30 years. Poaching and wildlife trafficking are the major reasons for this decline. The giraffes have been designated as a vulnerable species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. Records show that globally, there is an estimated population of 68,293.