Ol Tukai lodge is one of the best spots in the world to watch elephant with the backdrop of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Writers have described Ol Tukai and the surrounding Amboseli National Park as ‘a home for the gods’. To crown it all, the gods look upon one of the world’s most awe-inspiring sites – as dawn breaks and the sunsets from the foot snow capped dome of Africa’s highest mountain.
Geographical Location: Amboseli. Kenya - Tanzania border.
.
Accessibility: 240 km from Nairobi, 3½ hours by road & 45 minutes by Air.
.
Accommodation: 80 luxury chalet-style twin rooms, all with an uninterrupted view
of the wetlands or Kilimanjaro. The rooms have private bath rooms and individual
terraces, equipped with safes, fans, tea and coffee counters. Two rooms have been
designed to accommodate the physically challenged.
.
.
Dining Options: The dining room opens onto a veranda in the garden overlooking
the elephants and other game that venture close to the boundary, is served.
.
.
Facilities: Swimming pool, Gift shop, Library, In & out door games.
.
.
Activities: Night game drives, Balloon safaris, Maasai lectures, Bird/nature walk,
Cultural visits, Sun downer cocktail, Champagne breakfast and Bush dinner.
Wonders in Amboseli as an albino calf is born to the JB family
Causes of Albinism in Animals
.
Wonders in Amboseli as an albino calf is born to the JB family
 Calf with mother |  Calf following Mother |  Calf with Sister |
Causes of Albinism in Animals
Albinism is due to various gene mutations that affect the production of normal pigmentation. True (amelanistic) albinos lack melanin and are white with no markings and with unpigmented pink eyes. Partial (blue-eyed) albinos have some residual pigmentation. There are various degrees of patchy albinism (piebaldism) due to localised mutations in skin cells. Temperature dependent albinos have residual colour on cooler parts of the body i.e. Siamese cats where pigment develops on the head, tail and legs, but not on the warmer parts of the body.
Bluish-grey anerythristic albinos lack the red colour. Axanthic albinos lack the yellow colour. The actual colour and pattern of these animal depends on what other colours are in the pattern. Tyrosinase-negative albinos lack tyrosinase (an enzyme which synthesises melanin) in their cells; this usually produces a pale yellowish or cream animal with pink-eyes. The more common Tyrosinase Positive albino cannot synthesise melanin, but can synthesise tyrosinase, giving a fawn or lavender (platinum) colour.
Leucism is often mistaken for albinism. Leucistic animals, such as white lions, are white or very pale, with dark eyes and some pigmentation, for example ghost markings. Chinchilla is sometimes mistaken for albinism, but is caused by a different mutation that affects the distribution of pigment on the hair shaft. White tigers are chinchilla. Other mutations also cause white animals; some of the animals pictured here (white peacocks) are white, but not albino.
.
