White monkey spotted in Karimganj; "Indication of localised extinction of any species," professor Choudhury

Albino of Rhesus Macaques, colloquially Albino Rhesus Monkeys are among the rarest species of Rhesus Monkeys in our region. One such monkey was spotted this morning in Ramkrishna Nagar, Karimganj. Albino stands for animals with white hair or white skin.

In a very rare incident, one Albino of Rhesus Monkey was spotted by an Ecology Student of Assam University, Bishal Sonar. This morning while Sonar was strolling around the backyard of his home in Ramkrishna Nagar, he suddenly spotted a white monkey which he identified as Albino of Rhesus Monkey.

Sonar said, “From my knowledge, this is the first time in Barak Valley that an Albino Rhesus Monkey was spotted. It’s very rare to find them in our region. I was very shocked to find out that it was an Albino”. Being from the field of Ecology, it was easy for Sonar to spot and identify the mammal.

Albinism is a unique feature in mammals, these unique creatures have a partial or complete loss of pigmentation, hence their pale skin tone compared to other members of their species. Even though the birth of an albino animal is considered a sacred or auspicious event in some cultures, research suggests that some albino animals have difficulty in the wild. Albinism occurs when an individual inherits one or more mutated genes from both parents that interfere with the body’s production of melanin, the main pigment that determines the colour of skin, fur, and eyes.

Professor of the Department of Ecology, Parthankar Choudhury added, “Albinism is the absence of pigmentation in an animals resulting in white hairs and sometimes, pink eyes in them. Albinism is observed in those areas where the density of a group of animal (herein mammals) is tapering and is comparatively low. It has been found that continuous inbreeding is one of the reason for expression of albinism. As indicated, albinism thus is an alarm signal for continuity of a race, and is an indication of localized extinction of any species”.