'Friendly Ghost' Of The San Diego Zoo Safari Park To Celebrate Birthday On Halloween

SAN DIEGO, CA — The "friendly ghost" of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park will celebrate his birthday on Halloween, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced.

The albino wallaby named Everest, who is also known as the park's "friendly ghost," is turning 5 years old Thursday.

Since all albino animals are sensitive to the sun, Everest balances his time floating between sun and shade at the Australian Walkabout at the Safari Park, which offers up-close animal interactions with birds, kangaroos and wallabies.

He loves to snack on peanuts and produce such as carrots, romaine and sweet potato, according to the nonprofit conservation organization, which operates the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. He will occasionally spend time with his mother, Thelma, but also enjoys exploring the habitat on his own, which is common for the solitary red-necked wallaby.

Wallabies are members of the kangaroo family and are found primarily in Australia and on nearby islands. While red-necked wallabies are listed as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, ongoing threats include habitat loss and lack of resources, specifically water, due to continued regional drought, according to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Albinism in wallabies is a rare genetic mutation. However, there is a colony of about 200 wild albino wallabies on Bruny Island, Tasmania, where they are able to thrive due to a lack of natural predators.