By: Mahina Perrot Photos: Bernhard Thole/Phil Hartell
T
Phantoms
he first time Fannuel Banda and his guests caught a glimpse of a white kudu in South Luangwa National Park in early November 2016, they couldn’t believe their eyes. As one of The Bushcamp Company’s senior guides, Fannuel has had his share of remarkable sightings over the years, yet he was astonished to come across this rare animal. “This little white kudu was standing in thick bush between two of our camps, Zungulila Bushcamp, and Kapamba Bushcamp, across the Kapamba River,” Fannuel enthused. “It was a young female. She hadn’t been rejected by her mother and was still part of the family. She was completely white, with very pink ears and a pink nose. I had never seen anything like her before!”
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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
According to Conservation South Luangwa’s vet, Dr. Mwamba Sichande, the cause can sometimes be albinism; a condition resulting from absence of melanin which gives colour to the skin, hair and eyes. Albinism occurs in mammals (including humans), fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Sometimes pale colouring may also result from a partial loss of pigmentation (melanin), known as leucism. “This causes the animal to have white or patchy skin and hair, but pigmentation in the eyes is not affected”, Dr Mwamba explained.
Fannuel couldn’t get close enough to see if the white kudu’s eyes were red – the distinguishing feature of albinism. The white kudu was also spotted in December by Suzyo Zimba, another senior guide at the Bushcamp Company, who reported that she was getting bigger and stronger. Unfortunately, Suzyo could not identify the eye colour from the distance either. However, he was excited to show his guests the
Young female white kudu in the green grass.
SOUTH LUANGWA’S
