Find the odd one out
NIVEDITA GANGULY
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What makes the one –year-old black buck so different from the rest of the herd?
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Albinism is a rare trait among animals caused due to the lack of colour coding genes.
PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK
Stranger in the family: The albino black buck
The one-year old black buck is an odd one out among the herd of deer species in the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park. Even as the visitors throng the deer enclosure, the little one tries to hide itself in the group to avoid the prying eyes. The presence of an albino black buck in the zoo park is attracting visitors and wildlife enthusiasts in hordes. Amused visitors are referring to it as a “white deer.”
Albinism is a rare trait among animals caused due to the lack of colour coding genes. “These unusual looking animals are healthy but have no colour because they were born with no melanin in their skin,” zoo curator Rahul Pandey said. The amount of melanin in your skin decides what colour you are. The condition affects humans as well as animals, and although it’s not harmful, those with the condition have to take special care of themselves.
Vulnerable
For the animals this means they can easily get sun burnt. Albino animals also have other problems to cope with. Wildlife experts say that one of the biggest problem these animals have is that they are singled out by predators and they can also be bullied by other animals. Outside the park it’s unusual to see an albino animal because they rarely survive.
Some people believe that albinos had special powers and worshipped them; others consider them as spooky.
The real mystery of albinism lies in the complex function of pigment, controlled by genes, inherited from an animal’s mother and father.
Albinism occurs when an animal inherits either a single trait or a set of traits that interrupts the making of the pigment melanin.
Very often the animals have poor eyesight since the absence of melanin causes disorganised development of eyes resulting in problems with focusing, depth perception and tracking.
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