Maria Allen
A living being with albinism or albino is a human or animal. His skin and hair are white. The pigments provide the color in skin and hair. These are small colored particles that every human being normally has. Albinos have fewer or even none at all. That is why their skin or their hair is white. It’s not a disease, it’s just a peculiarity. It’s called albinism.
Without pigments, the skin is very sensitive to the sun’s rays. People with albinism get sunburned very easily. That’s why they prefer to stay indoors or at least put on a good amount of sunscreen.
Many albinos have other problems, especially with their eyes. Some can see quite well, while others are blind. Squinting can also be caused by albinism. Because there is no pigment, albinos’ eyes are usually red. That’s actually the color of people’s eyes. Some albinos have other typical diseases.
A polar bear is not an albino because white is its camouflage color and all polar bears are white. A white penguin, on the other hand, is an albino because most penguins have lots of black or even colored feathers. Albinism can be very dangerous for an animal: many animals usually have camouflage-colored fur or feathers so that they don’t stand out in the environment. Predators spot albinos more easily.
People with albinism are sometimes teased or ogled. In a few countries, many people even believe in magic. These people are afraid of albinos. Or they believe that eating body parts of albinos will make you healthy and strong. In Tanzania, for example, about 30 people are murdered every year because of this.