India is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Different pockets of the country’s vegetation are home to a range of species, both common ones and those unique to this country. Recently, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma brought to light a rare hog deer sighting in Kaziranga National Park on X.
Not every day does one witness something this rare 🦌
The sighting of an albino hog deer in stands as a symbol of the richness of our wildlife. It highlights our resolve to conserve and ensure that even the rarest species continue to thrive in the forests of Assam.
— (@himantabiswa)
“Not every day does one witness something this rare 🦌The sighting of an albino hog deer in Kaziranga @kaziranga_ stands as a symbol of the richness of our wildlife. It highlights our resolve to conserve and ensure that even the rarest species continue to thrive in the forests of Assam,” he mentioned in the caption of the video post.
The albino hog deer is a small cervid native to the region of the Indian subcontinent and Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is characterised by white fur, pink eyes and pale hooves.
Tejashree Joshi, Head of Environmental Sustainability, Godrej Enterprises Group, says that spotting albino animals in the wild is extremely rare, and getting to see one in a mangrove ecosystem is even more unusual.
“Albinism, caused by the absence of melanin pigment, can make survival difficult in nature as these animals often struggle with camouflage, visibility to predators, and sensitivity to sunlight,” she tells indianexpress.com.
According to her, mangroves are among the most biodiverse ecosystems, supporting a wide range of birds, reptiles, insects, and marine species, and rare sightings such as these reflect the ecological richness and health of these habitats.
Joshi believes protecting mangrove ecosystems is extremely essential, not only for safeguarding biodiversity, but also for ensuring vulnerable and rare species continue to survive in the wild.
Beyond hog deers, India is also home to a variety of albino species, such as the Gaur, Indian cobra and primates like rhesus macaque. While the macaque was spotted at Ramkrishna Nagar town in Sribhumi district of Assam last year, an albino wild boar was found roaming in the mountain areas of the Nilgiris in . The white Gaur can be occasionally seen in the Manjampatti Valley. The albino spectacled cobra (Naja naja) first came to light in Madhya Pradesh back in 2018.
is a genetic disorder with limited treatment, and thus, these animals need help, special care and protection, especially when held in captivity.
