Albinism

As a schoolboy John Harris was hit right between the eyes with a cricket ball. After that he gave away his cricket career! Not only was the cricket ball a potentially lethal missile, but John was also at risk of skin cancer. He has albinism, and as a consequence, he is dazzled by bright daylight and his skin begins burning after just five minutes exposure. John explained that people with albinism find it hard to focus and their eyes flicker. "If you move your eyes around the room without focusing on anything, that's probably the closest you could approximate to what I see ... the eyes are looking for a focal point that they'll never find."

Albino maggie

In our segment Don visited The Gorge Wildlife Park at Cudlee Creek in South Australia. The night before the Burke's Backyard team arrived, a young albino magpie had been rescued after falling out of its nest. Many other albino animals live at the park, including red kangaroos, western grey kangaroos and wallabies. Most have been rescued from a rather difficult and short life in the wild.

What causes albinism?

True albinos occur in almost all animals: birds, mice, rabbits, dogs, snakes, fish, monkeys, gorillas and humans. In general albinism is caused by a single mutation which prevents the formation of the pigment melanin. The albino mutation actually stops the formation of tyrosinase, an enzyme that changes tyrosine into a compound that eventually gives rise to melanin. Typical albino mammals have white hair and pink eyes. They can't tan in the sun, are very prone to skin cancer and they have poor vision. Albino humans have pinkish-white skin, white hair and bluish pink eyes.

Non-white albinos

True albinos are not always white. Melanin is the major pigment in most animals, but there are others. Thus, an albino form of the wild green budgerigar is always bright yellow, while albino rainbow lorikeets are a mix of yellow, red, orange and tiny bits of white. Some albino snakes have pink, yellow or red pigments as well.

Further information

Gorge Wildlife Park
Redden Drive,
Cudlee Creek, SA
Open 7 days. Admission: Adults $9, kids $5.
If you are interested in learning more about albinism, don't miss Don Burke's comprehensive article in the June edition of the Burke's Backyard magazine. It's on sale at newsagents now for $4.20.

Web contacts

The National Organisation for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH): www.albinism.org
The International Albinism Center at the University of Minnesota:
www.cbc.umn.edu/iac

Copyright CTC Productions 2000