Rare albino kangaroo found in Canberra national park (Photos)

A rare albino kangaroo, its startlingly white coat standing out in sharp contrast to its grey-coloured companions, has been spotted near Canberra.

According to rangers, the animal is an eastern grey kangaroo, probably female and aged around two years old.

The age of the kangaroo has surprised wildlife staff, owing to the heightened dangers faced by the pale-skinned animal.

‘It’s very rare, there’s no doubt about that,’ Brett McNamara, regional manager of the Australian Capital Territory’s Parks and Conservation Service, told Guardian Australia.

McNamara said the albino was ‘very comfortable’ within her group, or mob, of fellow kangaroos within the park, which sprawls for 106,000 hectares and covers nearly half of the ACT’s area.

Photograph: Rohan Thomson/The Canberra Times
He added that no albino kangaroos had been seen in the ACT in recent memory, although an albino echidna was found beside a busy Canberra road last year.

Albinism, which is caused by a genetic mutation, is extremely rare in kangaroos, similar to other species. For that reason, McNamara said rangers wouldn’t be disclosing the exact location of the kangaroo.
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Photograph: Rohan Thomson/The Canberra Times

Photograph: Rohan Thomson/The Canberra Times