Rare ‘white’ peacock rescued in Coimbatore; to be treated for leg injury

Experts said the peacock is believed to have got its white plumage due to leucism, a condition that prevents melanin and other pigments from being deposited on feathers at normal levels

Tamil Nadu Forest Department staff and members of a non-governmental organisation rescued a rare peacock with white feathers, caused by a genetic condition called leucism, in Coimbatore on Saturday (November 16, 2024), after the bird was spotted with an injury.

Members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Department and volunteers of the Western Ghats Wildlife Conservation Trust (WGWCT) rescued the peacock from a farm on Nallampalayam-Sanganoor Road in the city.

S.S. Akshai, a Class XI student with Yuvabharathi Public School in Coimbatore, spotted and photographed the injured peacock a few days ago and informed WGWCT coordinator R. Sathish about his sighting of the rare bird with white feathers.

“The peacock was spotted when I went for photography as part of the activities in the school’s photography club,” Mr. Akshai said.

Mr. Sathish, in turn, alerted the Forest Department about the peacock that was struggling with an injury on its right leg. “People residing in the locality said that stray dogs were seen chasing the peacock and it was struggling to escape from them,” Mr. Sathish said.

RRT members, Mr. Sathish, B. Sakthi, Aparna, R. Akshath, and T. Anitha from WGWCT visited the site on Saturday afternoon. An RRT member captured the peacock carefully. In order to avoid causing stress to the bird, its eyes were covered with a cloth while being shifted to the avian recuperation centre of the Forest Department on the District Forest Office campus.

The Forest Veterinary Surgeon of the Department will examine the injured peacock.

Experts said the peacock is believed to have got its white plumage due to leucism, a condition that prevents melanin and other pigments from being deposited on feathers at normal levels.

“Dark eyes with pink bill and feet indicate that the bird is fully leucistic,” said Rajah Jayapal, Senior Principal Scientist at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, the south India centre of Wildlife Institute of India, after examining the photos of the bird.

Published - November 16, 2024 05:13 pm IST