White elephants tend to be featured heavily in ancient folklore, but do they actually exist? Sort of. When looking for pictures of white elephants, my first instinct was to search for albino elephants. That's how this whole spiral started. As it turns out, albino elephants are actually pink!
While low pigment patches aren't uncommon among elephants, full albinism is. However, in 2016 there was an albino elephant born in Kruger National Park located in South Africa. It is the third documented albino calf spotted in the area after one in
2005 and another in
2006. Unfortunately, most wild albino animals won't make it to adulthood. Their lack of pigment leaves them without protection against the harsh african sun. There is currently a
fourth albino calf, born this year, that is in the care of specialists after being found caught in a poachers snare in the Kapama game reserve. She has been named Khanysia, meaning light.
So if "white" elephants are pink, where do the white elephants come from. The short answer: mud!
Namibia's national park is the home of "The Ghosts of Etosha". Etosha meaning "Great white place". To keep cool during the day, elephants play in watering holes and cover themselves in mud. The high salt concentrations left in the ground in this area from melting during the last ice age leave the clay a brilliant white color when it dries. So the elephants aren't actually white, they're just dirty!
So there you have it! No white elephants. Although I am tempted to drop the $500 to go on an african safari now... I need to stop researching national parks! Especially ones that offer spa packages. Anyways, feel free to click on the links and do some reading on your own. I personally find elephants adorable and fascinating! Enjoy!
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