If the Discovery of a Pink Elephant in Botswana is Rare, Why Do We See Elephants Depicted as Pink So Often?
Last week, a rare occasion occurred in the African country of Botswana: a pink baby elephant was serendipitously spotted with its mother and subsequently filmed. If pink elephants are so rare, then why do we see depictions of them so often?
Before the question is answered, here’s a little more background on pink elephants. The pink elephant found in Botswana is more accurately described as a rare albino elephant, one of only three to have been officially recorded in Africa. More albino elephants are thought to have historically existed among Asia’s elephant species (also sometimes referred to as white elephants), although this occurrence is also a rarity. An albino in Sri Lanka was the first to be officially recorded among the Asian elephant species, and just recently in 2004. According to Wikipedia, “although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet.”
