The strange, bearded antelope was spotted just a few weeks ago in Kenya. It is not yet clear why this young creature is so different from its relatives
When reporter Paolo Torchio traveled to Kenya's Masai Mara National Wildlife Refuge in mid-July, it was a typical Thursday morning for a veteran wildlife photographer who has lived and worked in Kenya for two decades. Torchio is very familiar with all the animals that live in the almost 600 square miles (1,500 square kilometers) reserve, so he was extremely surprised when he saw the head of a terrier emerging from the tall grass. “I wondered what the dog was doing here ? - says Torchio. “And when the animal came out of the grass, it was a real surprise.” The shaggy creature that appeared in front of me was clearly not a dog. The animal had all the distinctive features of the Thomson's gazelle, a type of antelope,but as the old Sesame Street song says, one of these little ones was not like the others. This animal was covered with a strange thick fur, which absolutely contradicted the outward features of the smooth Thomson gazelles, which surrounded it.
“The funny thing was that this difference did not affect her relationship with other gazelles,” Torchio said in a telephone interview. "There were no problems between her and the other gazelles."
Torchio crawled alongside the shaggy creature for about 15 minutes, taking photographs, but ultimately the mysterious animal was carried away. The Italian photographer spent the next five days trying to find the gazelle, but it turned out to be useless.
Experts do not quite believe in the existence of a small fluffy gazelle, especially as Torchio's photographs are the only known confirmation of the existence of such a beast.
"At first glance, I can definitely tell that this is a Thomson gazelle, and judging by the size of the torso and horns, it is a young female," said Lanny Brown, owner of the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona, and the person authorized watch out for Thomson's gazelles throughout North America.
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Mr Brown told OurAmazingPlanet News that neither he nor any of his colleagues knew of any documented cases of Thomson's hairy gazelle, or any other type of antelope, but he suggested that the animal might be suffering from hypertrichosis), a phenomenon known as werewolf syndrome, which occurs in both animals and humans. The name speaks for itself - a genetic error in the body provokes excessive hair growth throughout the body.
Or, according to Brown, it could have been a symptom of Cushing's disease, a hormonal disorder seen in various animals. The syndrome is especially common in horses, and the affected animals often look like an overgrown poodle.
According to Brown's assumptions, the unusual hairline does not bode well for the future of this antelope.
“Usually, the mother gazelle reacts in panic if something is wrong with the calf. It takes a lot of energy, effort and risk to raise a calf,”says Brown.
"The fact that this fluffy gazelle was not rejected by its mother suggests that excess hair was missing when the gazelle was born, or that this external deviation does not cause obvious health problems."
Brown adds that he doubts that too long sideburns will slow down the speed of the Thomson gazelle, for which speed is the main weapon against predators. These agile mammals are some of the fastest on earth, running at speeds up to 55 and 60 miles per hour (89 and 97 kilometers).
Brown boldly claims that even if this female looks a little strange, it will not cause her any problems during mating season. “Male antelopes are not very picky,” he concluded with a smile.