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'Extremely rare' mother and baby white giraffes spotted

Two "extremely rare" white giraffes — a mother and baby — have been filmed in Kenya by conservationists.

Local villagers were the first to spot the giraffes and alerted rangers, the Hirola Conservation Program, which aims to protect the hirola antelope, said in a statement.

"We hurriedly headed to the scene as soon as we got the news," it said.

"And lo! There, right in front of us, was the so-hyped 'white giraffe' of Ishaqbini conservancy!

"They were so close and extremely calm and seemed not disturbed by our presence."

Experts believe the giraffes have a rare genetic mutation known as leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation, the group said.

The conservationists noted a faded pattern was still visible on the calf's skin, while the adult was completely white.

It said white giraffe sightings had become more common in recent times.

"This is new to us. I remember when I was a kid, we never saw them," a community ranger reportedly told the conservationists.

"It must be very recent and we are not sure what is causing it."

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