Goolwa, Australia - Conservationists made a rare animal discovery when a pure white penguin crossed their path – but their excitement quickly gave way to concern.

Employees of the Wildlife Welfare Organization could hardly believe their eyes when they spotted this special animal on Hayborough Beach.

With its snow-white plumage, they initially thought they had come across an albino animal, but it turned out that this penguin has a rare mutation called leucism.

In contrast to albinism, birds affected by leucism have pure white feathers and colorless eyes, the organization explained in a post on Facebook.

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But after the initial enthusiasm, the animal welfare workers quickly realized that the animal was in a critical state of health.

Malnourished and dehydrated, they took the penguin to their rescue center, where they "will certainly do our utmost to pull this little dude through."

The little one still has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but now she's in good hands.

This is the first leucistic penguin the staff have discovered in their careers so far.

Accordingly, they wanted to reflect the bird's unusual nature in her name – Pearl, "a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," they wrote in a recent update video.