Rare Kangaroo That’s As ‘White As A Sheet Of Paper’ Spotted In Queensland Outback
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A white kangaroo has been spotted in outback Queensland, taking locals by surprise after he vanished off the radar six months ago.
Nogo Station resident Sarah Kinnon told ABC News she was taken back by the colour of the kangaroo’s fur.
"I was just out with my husband, we were dropping some rams back to the paddock, and there was a white kangaroo," she said.
"It was pretty incredible to see it, if you put a white sheet of paper next to it, that's how white it was.
"It blew me away really."
The roo was last spotted at Nogo six months ago, so this time Ms Kinnon leapt at the opportunity to take a photo.
"It was all a bit rushed really, we didn't see him for long," she said.
"I just chucked my daughter to my husband, got my camera and that's about all I had time for."
In 2018, ABC News said there had been an increase in white kangaroo sightings in western NSW.
Locals told reporters white kangaroos were popping up in the Wanaaring, Kinchega National Park, Yunta and Mount Kaputar areas.
Wanaaring local Ben Strong said that when he uploaded pictures of the animal to his social media account, others also said they spotted pale coloured skippies.
"As far as I know there's quite a few around in places," he said. "Any time I put a post on Facebook, people say they've seen them in other areas and they post their pictures."
Following the snow white sighting near Longreach, Queensland Museum Curator of Vertebrates Paul Oliver weighed in on whether the species suffers from a pigmentation condition.
"Just looking at the picture, it looks to have black eyes, it's hard to see for sure but that suggests it's not an albino," he told the ABC.
"You can have true albino, which you need to look for pink eyes, or sometimes there's another type of mutation called leucism where sometimes they'll have black eyes.”
Dr Oliver also said the animal was likely the same white kangaroo spotted on the property half a year ago.
"Usually they don't survive, because obviously they stand out, if they're albino they can't see properly, their melanin's not protecting them," he said.
"I'd say it might become a little bit of a local identity, the distinctive white kangaroo."
Well, anyone else up for a road trip to see the white kanga for themselves?
