Life at Kenya’s Maasai Mara was routine with animals and tourists dwelling together to experience the country’s wild side.
Until, something unique caught everyone’s eye.
According to The East African, a photographer was in for a surprise when he first spotted an incredibly rare black-spotted zebra.
Antony Tira, the renowned tour guide & photographer posted a picture of the black foal on the camp’s Facebook page.
An Indian photographer Rahul Sachdeva, 41, too spotted the zebra and clicked pictures, which soon caught everyone’s attention on social media.
Said to be born with a condition called melanism, the zebra was born with a build up of dark pigmentation.
Sadly for the locals, they’ve never seen a zebra with such a condition survive for more than 6 months.
According to scientists, stripes in zebras are formed when the melanin in the body is held back.
This means, a zebra is black by default and has white stripes.
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The baby zebra has now been named after the photographer who first spotted the rare beauty and will be called Tira.
Tira now has spots that appear as polka dots.
The rare animal attracted a humongous crowd of tourists and photographers, causing a stampede situation near the Mara River in the reserve.
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