BENGALURU: Young wildlife photographer Dhruv Patil captured a rare albino deer in the Kabini forest area a few days ago.
This click, which was the result of months of effort, had drawn the attention of wildlife lovers across the state.
“Usually, deer possess shiny brown skin. Deer with white or pale white skin are found once in a while. However, such deer do not form any special species,” explained 22-year-old Patil.
According to him, their skin attains a white or pale white colour due to congenital defective genes, and the lack of melanin pigment remains the reason behind this. Further, the colour of the eyes of albino deer will also be different, with a pinkish hue unlike that of other deer. They are also said to have poor eyesight, making them easy prey for predatory animals. Because of this, the average lifespan of an albino deer is less than that of other deer.
Patil, son of Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil, is pursuing a degree in hotel management and tourism at New York University, US.
He started wildlife photography in 2013 and has had field experience in the jungles of Africa and the Americas. Patil founded the Society for Protection of Animals and Plants in 2011. Now, the organisation has an active volunteer base of about 10,000.
Earlier, Patil had captured a black panther with his camera at Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary near Mysuru. He had spent over 9,000 minutes, 150 hours, or almost seven days on a single road in a national forest in Karnataka to wait for a glimpse of the elusive black panther and capture it with his camera. He has also adopted many animals at Mysore Zoo and is also taking care of many birds at his home.