He is the only known, albino gorilla, ever. Thousands visited the zoo to say goodbye before he was euthanized in November of that year. In September 2003, it was publicly announced that he was dying. Since 2001, he had suffered from an unusual form of skin cancer, almost certainly related to his albinism condition, known as oculocutaneous albinism type 1 or OCA1. He was thought to be between 38 and 40 years old the average lifespan of a gorilla in the wild is 25. They sent a message to Sabater Pi saying, “Please send more white gorillas.” The zoo later hoped to produce an entire family group of white gorillas through selective breeding. At first, the Barcelona Zoo was not aware just how unique a specimen Snowflake was. Despite previous efforts to explain the genetic cause, this is still unknown. white hair, light eyes, pink skin, photophobia and reduced visual acuity. He was diagnosed with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism, i.e. Barcelona Zoo director Antonio Jonch in wrote in 1967:ĭuring his life at the zoo, he fathered 22 offspring (of whom six survived to adulthood) with three females and lived to see his grandchildren. Background The only known albino gorilla, named Snowflake, was a male wild born individual from Equatorial Guinea who lived at the Barcelona Zoo for almost 40 years. I didnt know he had died, though I didnt know he was as old as that either. I was an uninterested teen so seeing 'the worlds only albino gorilla' didnt seem so special. He was known worldwide, mentioned in tourist guides and put on postcards, becoming the unofficial mascot for the city. I remember seeing him in Barcelona in the 90s. He spent most of his life at the Barcelona Zoo in the Parc de la Ciutadella. He sold it to Sabater Pi, who worked for the Barcelona Zoo’s Ikunde Center, in Spanish Guinea, and paid 10,500 pesetas for the gorilla. Join Akrew Pro to remove ads Note: To buy an item click on the bold listing title and make an offer or contact the seller directly. In 1964 an ethnic Fang farmer, killed the rest of his group (all charcoal black in color) in order to obtain this unusual albino specimen. Snowflake, the Albino Lowland Gorilla 1964-2003
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