All roads in the Knoxville these days is leading to the zoo where a white alligator is at the centre of attraction.
The marketing of the exhibition proved successful and visitors are coming in hordes to see the animal, hoping it would bring them good luck. Zoo authorities had billed the exhibition as “Look in Dem Eyes”, which refers to the popular legend than good luck follows whenever anyone sees the alligator.
Without an alligator’s characteristic masquerading colour, the 12-year-old white creature sports a distinct look. Unlike normal alligators, this albino creature can’t live long if exposed to the sun.
Phil Colclough, assistant curator of herpetology at the zoo, informed that the curious visitors, as they looked through a glass window, were amazed by the sight and even asked if it was real.
He said
Nobody believes she’s real. They stare until she takes a breath or moves her eyes or jumps in the pool.
There are around 50 white alligators across the United States, including a few albinos. The albinos don’t have that dark pigment called melanin. Another kind of white alligator is leucistic, which have white pigment and blue eyes.
Photo: AP