A month ago, a rare albino puma was born in a zoo in Nicaragua, where it is still hidden from the public’s view, according to zoo officials.
“We are taking all measures to be able to keep him as healthy as possible, together with his mother,” veterinarian Carlos Molina from the Thomas Belt Zoo told AFP.
“He is healthy, his body is in good condition,” said the vet from the zoo in Juigalpa in Chontales department, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the capital Managua.
Common pumas have light brown or reddish fur at birth with black specks. Rare among the species, there are scarcely any known occurrences of the genetic abnormality that results in white pigmentation worldwide.
“We are happy to have it because you don’t see this very often,” Molina said.
The puma is the second largest cat in the Americas after the jaguar, and the fourth in the world after the tiger and the lion.
The tiny albino puma kitten is being raised by its mother in a den constructed in a gated enclosure, and zoo personnel have refrained from approaching it. They are hoping that within two months the cub will be able to get medical attention.
