TresSugar

Cute Alert: Albino Squirrel Eats Peanuts

GiggleSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Izzy, the albino squirrel, has a factory line of peanuts to nibble through and he's up to the task. Watch him pounce on each nut, shake it to hear the goodies inside then crack away at the outer shell like a pro. This is like a Top Chef quickfire challenge - only nuttier.

Pale and Persecuted: Albinos Hunted, Terrorized in Tanzania

CitizenSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:00:27 -0700

Living in sub-Saharan Africa isn't an easy existence for anyone - but for albino people living in one of Earth’s hottest areas has intense challenges. Their total lack of pigmentation, which affects 1 in 3,000, is excruciating under the glaring African sun - they are predisposed to severe skin burns and often die of skin cancer before the age of 30.

Though lately, the weather is the least of their problems. Tanzanian officials claim that witch doctors are promoting the sale of albino skin, bones and hair as ingredients in spells to create prosperity. In the past year, 19 albinos including children have been killed or mutilated. Police are creating lists of albinos throughout their nation in an effort to better protect them including escorts for albino children to get to and from school. I absorb a lot of news, but this story is almost unimaginably horrific. To see how, read more.

One of the families devastated by this phenomenon was eating when four men entered their home and cut off the legs of their albino daughter and simply left with her amputated stumps. She later died.

The Commissioner said of the witch doctor’s influence into the persecution of the albino people:

These witch doctors have many strange beliefs. There was a rumor not so long ago that if you use a bald head when fishing, you’ll get rich. There was another one that said if you spread blood on the ground in a mine, you’ll find gold. These rumors come and go. The problem is, the people who follow witch doctors don’t question them.

Police say the rural areas are the most susceptible to rumors and superstitions, as they tend to be uneducated. This wave of albino killings surprised the police who have no idea why it seemed to begin so suddenly but suspect either a wave of imported Nigerian movies centering on the theme of witchcraft or rising food prices - necessitating the spells for wealth - could be the cause.

Tanzanian Albino Society, a nonprofit advocacy group that operates on less than $15,000 a year, has become increasingly vital to this population in crisis.

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You want monkeys?! We got your monkeys right here!

GiggleSugar — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:13:00 -0800

These little guys give new meaning to the word "thumbnail." Could these newborn Albino Pygmy Marmosets be any cuter?! It's almost obscene. Tone it down, you two. You're veering on NSFW (not safe for work) territory.

Yesterday some of you asked for monkeys. Well here are your monkeys bluejeanie, and we're working on finding pics of monkeys in hats, sashak!

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Cute Alert: One-Day-Old Albino Hedgehogs

GiggleSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:00:00 -0700

What's cuter than one-day-old nursing albino hedgehogs? A video of one-day-old nursing albino hedgehogs with a Velvet Underground soundtrack! Now we're talking. (Trust me, without music, this is a little too freaky.)

Cute Alert: Pink Dolphins Exist!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:00:00 -0800

For those of you still holding out for the existence of unicorns and winged fairies - there is hope after all! A pink dolphin (actually an albino) was spotted last year in a lake in Louisiana. Boatman Erik Rue found it and has been studying it ever since. "I just happened to see a little pod of dolphins," he said, "and I noticed one that was a little lighter." (I never knew that groups of dolphins were called "pods." Adorable. And is it just me, or does Pinky up there seem to know he's special?) Click here to read more and to see a closeup pic of Pinky!

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