Sensation at wildlife park goes viral Albino wallaby Olaf delights people around the world
At Symbio Wildlife Park near Sydney, a seven-month-old albino wallaby has recently started peeking out of his mother's pouch. Visitors and the online community are delighted.
04.10.2024, 09:56
SDA
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- An albino wallaby has been living in an Australian zoo for seven months.
- Seven months after its birth, the young animal is peeking out of its mother's pouch for the first time, delighting visitors to Symbio Wildlife Park near Sydney as well as people on social media.
- Albinism is a genetic defect that leads to a pigmentation disorder. Those affected have very light skin, hair and usually red eyes. It occurs in humans and animals, but is rare.
Snow-white offspring at a wildlife park in Australia: seven months after the birth of wallaby Olaf, it is clear that the baby was born albino - an extremely rare mutation in the iconic marsupials. The infant was given his name by the keepers at Symbio Wildlife Park south of Sydney in reference to the funny snowman Olaf from the computer animated film "The Ice Queen" (in the original: Frozen), as the park announced.
The mutation occurs in humans as well as in many animal species, but is very rare: According to the park, on average only one in 17,000 newborns has the genetic defect. There are albino gorillas, for example, but elephants, deer, rats, wild boar, birds and fish can also show the trait. In wallabies, which belong to the kangaroo family, albinism is even rarer: only one in 100,000 animals is affected.
As big as a bean at birth
But why has it only now been confirmed that Olaf is albino? "Wallabies, like kangaroos and koalas, are born the size of beans and only emerge from their mother's pouch when they are about seven months old," a spokesperson for the park told the German Press Agency. They initially weigh less than one gram and are naked, deaf and blind.
"We are delighted to welcome Olaf to the Symbio family," the park said jubilantly. "This little kangaroo is truly unique. He has already won hearts with his rare beauty." While the wallaby is safe in its enclosure, it would probably be lost in the wild: Albino animals can barely camouflage themselves and are usually highly visible to predators.
The hereditary disease is a pigmentation disorder. The affected animals are unable to produce the pigment melanin and therefore usually remain white. In order to produce an albino, both parents must be carriers of the corresponding genes. Red eyes are typical because the iris is so permeable that the red retina behind it shines through. Albinos are also very sensitive to light.
