Albino girl, 11, killed and beheaded in Swaziland ’for witchcraft’

An 11-year-old albino girl from Swaziland was shot dead in front of her friends and then beheaded in what police believe was a ritual murder.

By Aislinn Laing, Johannesburg

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Police believe children are targeted because of a belief by witch doctors that the blood and body parts of albinos can bring good luck and fortune when used in potions Photo: AFP/GETTY

The child had been washing clothes and bathing at a river with friends and was returning home when she was grabbed by a man wearing a balaclava.

As her friends looked on, the man shot her in the back before dragging her away. Her headless body was found upriver a short time later.

The murder is the latest in a series of albino killings in Sub-Saharan Africa, where sufferers of the rare skin pigmentation condition are concentrated.

Earlier this year, another 11-year-old albino child was killed close to the same spot in Swaziland and her hand was removed.

Police believe both children may have been targeted because of a belief by witch doctors that the blood and body parts of albinos - who lack pigment in their eyes, hair and skin - can bring good luck and fortune when used in potions.

Their value for black magic practitioners sees them often fall prey to human traffickers, one of whom was jailed for 17 years in Tanzania this week for abducting and attempting to sell a live albino man.

The girl murdered in Swaziland was named locally as Banele Nxumalo. A man identified as her father, Luke Nxumalo, told The Times of Swaziland that his late uncle had also been an albino.

“What happened to my child is very painful. I wonder why albinos are targeted because they are just humans like us and a gift from God,” he said.

Albino and Half-Albino Peacocks Are Simply Stunning (Photos)

by Jerry James Stone

from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Photo by Yvonne Ayoub

Within the plumage of a peacock lies a complex architecture that's continuously changing color. Or so it seems. Though the colors of a peacock are revered, it is just as stunning--if not more so--without them. Often referred to as an albino peacock, it is nothing of the sort. It's technically a white peacock which is a genetic variant of the Indian Blue Peafowl.

Photo by nikki.loraine ( view larger photo)

The colors in the feathers of a bird are determined two factors: pigment and structure. For example, the green in some parrots is a result of yellow pigments over blue-reflecting feathers. In the case of a white peacock, its unusual lack-of-color is due to a missing pigment. This missing pigment is dark and absorbs incident light, making diffracted and interference light visible (i.e. common peacocks). The effect is similar to that of oil on water.

Photo by *amy&kimball

Pigment colorization in birds comes from three different groups: melanins, carotenoids, and porphyrines. Melanins occur as tiny specs of color in both the skin and feathers, and ranges from the darkest black to pale yellows. Carotenoids are plant-based and are acquired only by eating plants or by eating something that ate a plant. They produce bright yellows and brilliant oranges. The last pigment group, Porphyrins, produces a range of colors including pink, browns, reds, and greens.

But feather structure is as important to color as pigment. Each feather consists of thousands of flat branches, each with minuscule bowl-shaped indentations. At the bottom of each indentation is a lamellae (thin plate-like layers), that acts like a prism, splitting light. It's the same principle for butterflies and humming birds.

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Photo by Timothy Riley ( view larger photo)

Photo by Dileep Govindaraju

Photo by JLMphoto ( view larger photo)

Photo by Rocky413 ( view larger photo)

Albino otter spotted by photographer

A rare albino otter has been captured on camera by an amateur wildlife photographer in the north of Scotland.

By Simon Johnson

A rare albino otter has been spotted in Moray, Scotland. The Otter was captured by an amateur wildlife photographer.

Karen Jack said the sight of the white animal eating a fish on rocks in Moray was "surreal".

Grace Yoxon, of the Skye-based International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) said the otter was "extremely rare". She said there were no figures for the number of albino otters, but it was unaware of there being any others reported in the UK.

Ms Jack had to wait for the animal to reappear from the sea after catching a brief glimpse of it earlier.

She said: "I have been into photography for about three years as a hobby and love photographing wildlife, landscapes and my two cats.

"But it was just an amazing and surreal view of the albino otter, and for it to sit there and eat while we watched on was mind-blowing."

Mrs Yoxon said: "It is extremely rare to see albino animals in the wild and to be able to get such wonderful photos is exceptional.

"Karen was extremely lucky to have her camera with her - I am very envious."

In March, IOSF took into its care an otter that latched on to two teenagers who were sledging, then followed them home.

The cub was spotted in snow under a bush at Windygates, Fife, in February. He was nicknamed Dylan because one of the youngsters was playing a harmonica, an instrument synonymous with singer Bob Dylan.

Pink elephant is caught on camera

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News

The little pink calf was spotted in amongst an 80-strong elephant herd

A pink baby elephant has been caught on camera in Botswana.

A wildlife cameraman took pictures of the calf when he spotted it among a herd of about 80 elephants in the Okavango Delta.

Experts believe it is probably an albino, which is an extremely rare phenomenon in African elephants.

They are unsure of its chances of long-term survival - the blazing African sunlight may cause blindness and skin problems for the calf.

Mike Holding, who spotted the baby while filming for a BBC wildlife programme, said: "We only saw it for a couple of minutes as the herd crossed the river.

The baby elephant seems to be sheltering under its mother to protect itself from the sun

"This was a really exciting moment for everyone in camp. We knew it was a rare sighting - no-one could believe their eyes."

Documented evidence

Albino elephants are not usually white, but instead they have more of a reddish-brown or pink hue.

While albinism is thought to be fairly common in Asian elephants, it is much less common in the larger African species.

Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush Dr Mike Chase, Elephants Without Borders

Ecologist Dr Mike Chase, who runs conservation charity Elephants Without Borders, said: "I have only come across three references to albino calves, which have occurred in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

"This is probably the first documented sighting of an albino elephant in northern Botswana.

"We have been studying elephants in the region for nearly 10 years now, and this is the first documented evidence of an albino calf that I have come across."

He said that the condition might make it difficult for the calf to survive into adulthood.

"What happens to these young albino calves remains a mystery," said Dr Chase.

"Surviving this very rare phenomenon is very difficult in the harsh African bush. The glaring sun may cause blindness and skin problems."

However, he told BBC News that there might be a ray of hope for the pink calf as it already seemed to be learning to adapt to its condition.

I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival Dr Mike Chase, Elephants Without Borders

Dr Chase explained: "Because this elephant calf was sighted in the Okavango Delta, he may have a greater chance of survival. He can seek refuge under the large trees and cake himself in a thick mud, which will protect him from the Sun.

"Already the two-to-three-month-old calf seems to be walking in the shade of its mother.

"This behaviour suggests it is aware of its susceptibility to the harsh African sun, and adapted a unique behaviour to improve its chances of survival."

He added: "I have learned that elephants are highly adaptable, intelligent and masters of survival."

Pink dolphin appears in US lake

The world's only pink Bottlenose dolphin which was discovered in an inland lake in Louisiana, USA, has become such an attraction that conservationists have warned tourists to leave it alone.

Pinky the rare albino dolphin has been spotted in Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana, USA Photo: CATERS NEWS

Charter boat captain Erik Rue, 42, photographed the animal, which is actually an albino, when he began studying it after the mammal first surfaced in Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico in southwestern USA.

Capt Rue originally saw the dolphin, which also has reddish eyes, swimming with a pod of four other dolphins, with one appearing to be its mother which never left its side.

He said: "I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins, and I noticed one that was a little lighter.

"It was absolutely stunningly pink.

"I had never seen anything like it. It's the same color throughout the whole body and it looks like it just came out of a paint booth.

"The dolphin appears to be healthy and normal other than its coloration, which is quite beautiful and stunningly pink.

"The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating it's albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws.

"I have personally spotted the pink dolphin 40 to 50 times in the time since the original sighting as it has apparently taken up residence with its family in the Calcasieu ship channel.

"As time has passed the young mammal has grown and sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.

"Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod."

Regina Asmutis-Silvia, senior biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said: "I have never seen a dolphin coloured in this way in all my career.

"It is a truly beautiful dolphin but people should be careful, as with any dolphins, to respect it - observe from a distance, limit their time watching, don't chase or harass it

"While this animal looks pink, it is an albino which you can notice in the pink eyes.

"Albinism is a genetic trait and it unclear as to the type of albinism this animal inherited."

A close relation of dolphins, the Amazon River Botos, called pink dolphins, live in South America in the Amazon.

ALBINO ANIMALS: GHOSTS OF THE WILD

An albino peacock opens its plumage at Botanic Garden in Bogota, Colombia, June 15, 2005.

(Eliana Aponte / Reuters)

This photo of Snowflake the albino gorilla was taken Sept. 14, 2003, shortly before he died. Snowflake was the only albino gorilla at Spain's Barcelona Zoo.
(Cesar Rangel, AFP/Getty Images)

An albino alligator named White Diamond is seen in the pool at the Safari-Park in Hodenhagen, Germany, April 2, 2008. The rare creature from the Louisiana everglades was part of a reptile show held in April 2008.
(Kai-Uwe Knoth/AP Photo)

A 1-month old albino common barking deer named Peth romps near an older male deer May 29, 2007, at the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first day the young deer was on display. The albino deer is considered rare in Thailand.
(Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

A rare albino fur seal on the beach at Stromness Bay in Antarctica March 4, 2007.
(Robert E. Klein, Norwegian Coastal Voyage/AP Photo)

A 2-year-old albino gray kangeroo named Mulali was photographed Jan. 27, 1998, at the San Francisco Zoo. The kangeroo, which spent its first 6 to 7 months developing in its mother's pouch, was fathered by a nonalbino gray kangeroo.
(George Nikitin/AP Photo)

Meckie Way, a newborn albino hedgehog was taken to the Duisburg Zoo in Germany Dec.13, 2001. The rare hedgehog was born four weeks before and was handed over by citizens who picked it up near their house.
(Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

An albino great horned owl, the only one known to exist, according to the World Bird Sanctuary, sits on its perch at the sanctuary in St. Louis.
(Tom Gannam/AP Photo)

This rare albino leopard shark was on display at the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ky., Oct. 22, 1999.
(Newport Aquarium/AP Photo)

A rare albino squirrel, nicknamed Snowy, scavenges for nuts in a back garden in England.
(Empics/Landov)

Ten-month-old Onya-Birri, the only albino koala in captivity, is shown with his mother, Banjeeri, at the San Diego Zoo.
(San Diego Zoo/AP Photo)

Two-week-old Sri Lankan albino cobras show at the National Zoological Gardens in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 29, 2005. In April 2005, a female albino cobra laid 20 eggs. Three snakes emerged from the eggs June 16, 2005, zoo officials said.
(Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi/Reuters)

Camel with an albino colt at Skazka Zoo, Yalta, Ukraine.
(ITAR-TASS /Landov)

This photo of an albino red-necked wallaby female and its young was taken at the Zlin Zoo, the Czech Republic June 6, 2007. Albino wallabys usually bear brown-colored offsprings and a baby kangaroo all-white as its mother is a rarity.
( Zdenek Nemec, CTK/AP Photo)

A white killer whale is spotted near Kanaga Volcano in Central Aleutian Islands.
(AP Photo)