A white-colored spot-billed duck is seen in this photo taken on March 15, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — A spot-billed duck with unusual looks was recently seen in the Namdaecheon Stream in the city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province.
Instead of having brownish features, the duck was uniquely white.
The duck didn’t seem to have problems mingling with the flock, engaging in rigorous feeding activities, and flying around the area before it left the region.
There are rare reports of birds and other wild animals throughout the country that have lost their protective colors and are exposed to the risk of predators.
In Wonju, a white roe deer was found recently.
In July 2020, two white sparrows were found in residential areas in the city of Chuncheon.
In March 2015, an albino pochard was found in Gangneung’s Gyeongpo Lake. The animal was thoroughly white, except for the head.
In September 2012, a white sandpiper was found in the Namdaecheon estuary in Gangneung.
In the same year, white crows were found in the Joyang River in Jeongseon County and Bibong Mountain in Jaecheon, North Chungcheong Province.
Another white crow was found in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province three years later.
A white sandpiper, file photo. (Yonhap)
These animals with unusual appearances are albinos that inherently lack melanin in their bodies. They struggle for survival as they are deprived of protective color, leaving them vulnerable to predators.
Experts say it is a rare disease that may accompany the mental or physical disorder, indicating that these animals live under harsh conditions.
South Koreans, however, tend to welcome the likes of albino animals, regarding them as mystical creatures of ‘good fortune’.
As much as they are rare and regarded as animals that bring ‘good fortune’, we carry the responsibility of keeping them under protection.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
