Claim: Photograph shows the only known golden zebra in existence, living at an animal sanctuary in Hawaii. FALSE Example: [ Collected via email, November 2014] I saw an article about a Golden Zebra on Face Book and was just wanting to know if it is true. The article claims it is the only known one in existence. Origins: A photograph purportedly showing the only known golden zebra in existence has been circulated on the Internet since at least August 2013: The photo actually shows a zebra named Zoe who resides at Hawaii's Three Ring Ranch Animal Sanctuary and exhibits a rare coloring condition known as amelanosis: Her unusual color is due to her having amelanosis. She is not an albino. She has striking gold stripes and blue eyes. In horses, there is a similar condition called Lethal White Foal Syndrome which is associated with the occurrence of other serious birth defects. Although this color variation occasionally occurs in wild herds, the animals would likely survive only a few days at best. This is probably because zebras use their stripes as camouflage to blend in with the rest of herd. While the condition Zoe exhibits does alter the zebra's color, the image frequently associated with her has been doctored to make her look unrealistically golden. The original photograph was taken in 2007 by Bill Adams and looks quite different: Zoe may not be as golden as the viral photo makes her out to be, but she is still a very rare animal. According to the Three Ring Ranch Animal Sanctuary, only two other white zebras have been found in captivity: There have been reports of at least two other white zebras in captivity. One in Germany about a hundred years ago and another at a zoo in Tokyo in the 1970's. At this time we know of only one other zebra like Zoe alive. Last updated: 25 November 2014 Urban Legends Reference Pages © by snopes.com. This material may.
An image circulating claims to show a rare golden zebra. Is this image real or fake? The image being circulated is real, but it has been digitally enhanced. This rare zebra named Zoe was born on Sept. 16, 1998 on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. She currently lives at the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary above the town of Kailua- Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. The ranch’s website explains her unusual appearance: Her unusual color is due to her having “amelanosis”. She is not an albino. She has striking gold stripes and blue eyes. In horses, there is a similar condition called “ Lethal White Foal Syndrome” which is associated with the occurrence of other serious birth defects. Although this color variation occasionally occurs in wild herds, the animals would likely survive only a few days at best. This is probably because zebras use their stripes as camouflage to blend in with the rest of herd. The ranch states that there have been only two other “white” zebras in captivity, one a century ago, and one in Japan in the 1970′s. Enhanced Image The image of Zoe being circulated has been digitally enhanced to make Zoe’s stripes appear more golden than they really are (see original here and another here). In reality, her stripes have a more subtle tone, as can be seen in the photos below. The first image below is the enhanced “golden” image being circulated, followed by two un-enhanced photos of Zoe. This “golden” zebra is real but this photo has been enhanced. Zoe’s true colors are still impressive. This is an unaltered photo of Zoe. Source.
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