World Report: May 1, 1998 Vol.3 No.25

A White Flash In The Pasture

On the first day of spring, farmer Tim Gintner's miracle bull was born in Kansas. Spring is an albino (al-bye-no). He doesn't have pigments, the natural substances that give hair, eyes and skin their color. Spring's eyes seem to be pink because of their blood vessels. "He looks more like the Easter bunny than a bull," says Kathy Gintner, Tim's wife. Albino rabbits and mice are common, but bulls aren't. No one's ever heard of one before!

Albinos are sensitive to sun, so Spring must stay in the shade. In bright sun, he covers his eyes with his hooves.

Scientists want to study Spring. The Gintners say that's fine, but the beloved bull must stay on their farm. "He's like a firefly, a flash of white," says Kathy proudly. "We'll never see anything like it again."