In search of the albino elephant
By Tom Parker in Colombo
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The 11-year old female - nicknamed Sue - was recently spotted for the first time in 6 years. It is thought to be the only wild albino elephant in Asia.
"Generally when you see an albino animal you expect it to be white, that is if it has fur.
"Since elephants hardly have any fur you see the skin colour. It's like a very pale tanned colour. So, especially if it is wet, the contrast is absolutely amazing", says Dr Fernando.
Conflict
The dry season is making life difficult for the local farmers, as the animals cross the park boundary and venture into the village areas looking for food and water.
It's obviously a very rare mutation or a very rare gene
Dr Priviraj Fernando
"Most elephants come into conflict with people and because of that most of them develop avoidance behaviour," says Dr Fernando.
"They become almost nocturnal."
This makes observation and research into Yala's elephant population almost impossible.
The crimson sun is setting as we drive to Rotawella tank, a water supply one kilometre into the park where local people come to wash. HK Janaka, one of the park's researchers, saw the albino elephant here last month.
"I stopped my bike and climbed a tree. I saw one elephant coming towards the tank to drink water. Suddenly I saw the white elephant. It was with 19 elephants, all female."
Genetic question
Dr Fernando wants to find out the cause of the elephant's albinism.
"It's obviously a very rare mutation or a very rare gene. Usually genes like albinism are recessive, so even if an animal or a person carries one of those genes it will not be expressed so you wouldn't know unless you did a genetic analysis."
The white elephant has a great significance to Buddhism
Nanasiri
Farmer
In the rare instance an animal receives two recessive albino genes - one from each parent - it will be an albino.
On the other hand it could be a case of a genetic mutation resulting in a characteristic like albinism always being expressed. If the elephant becomes pregnant its offspring will also be albino.
"Mutations happen because they just happen. That's why you have evolution", says Dr Fernando.
Buddhism
The reappearance of the animal has not just been of interest to scientists.
Albino elephants have played a part in Buddhist mythology.
I went to see Nanasiri, a local farmer who lives in Tissamaharama, a bustling tourist town on the edge of the park.
"The white elephant has a great significance to Buddhism," he says.
"The white elephant is the God Saman's vehicle which he used when he came to Sri Lanka in the Ratnapura area. The Lord Buddha's mother also dreamt of a white elephant before his conception."
"We believe the white elephant only appears once every 12 years and it's seen as an auspicious sign," he says.
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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/3991861.stm
Published: 2004/11/08 13:48:04 GMT
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