World’s First Piebald Alligator and Extremely Rare Leucistic Alligator On Display In Florida
OutdoorHub Social 06.09.16
Robbie Keszey, star of the highly popular television series Swamp Brothers, explains: “This is the culmination of a lifelong dream. It’s an incredible opportunity to pursue animal conservation while creating an immersive, interactive, and educational experience for visitors.”
The Interactive Zoo will be the ultimate wildlife destination, showcasing an impressive compendium of animals from large African Crested Porcupines to rare species of crocodiles. Live shows and leading edge technology will further enhance the visitor’s experience.
“We will utilize technology in ways never before seen at a zoo,” continues Keszey. “We will create a multi-dimensional experience no other park offers that will engage kids of all ages.”
To welcome the public, the zoo has named Blizzard, believed to be the world’s only known piebald alligator, and Snowball, an ultra-rare leucistic alligator as its Ambassadors!
Blizzard and Snowball are American Alligators with extremely rare genetic mutations. Leucism, or the partial loss of pigmentation, results in an animal with primarily white skin and, with reptiles, eyes that are almost always blue. Piebaldism refers to having multicolored skin and, typically, normally pigmented eyes. Leucistic animals tend to be confused as being albino – a rare mutation, but leucism, by comparison, is extraordinarily rare and piebaldism in an alligator is believed to have never before been documented.
“Snowball is one of only 11 known living leucistic alligator worldwide,” says Nathan Sweeting. “Making things more exceptional is that Snowball is the only leucistic alligator that is not related to the other 10, which are all siblings.”
Sweeting adds, “Blizzard, on the other hand, is truly one of a kind. A true piebald alligator like Blizzard has never before been seen or documented by humans, until now. In the wild these animals have a near zero chance of survival because they lack the necessary camouflage. Their white pigment screams out their location and, as young alligators, they are then quickly eaten by predators.”
The Interactive Zoo includes an Educational Facility that will enable veterinary students, in conjunction with staff veterinarians, to obtain hands-on experience with a wide variety of species and provide the public an opportunity to view many of these procedures.
The Zoo will also concentrate on the breeding of certain species and rehabilitation of injured and surrendered animals brought to the facility by State and Federal animal agencies.
About Animal Crossings of Florida:
Animal Crossings of Florida, Inc., owned by Robbie Keszey, Stephen Keszey, Nathan Sweeting and Jonathan Ripps, is passionately committed to conservation and anim
