According to one of the hunters engaged in sport hunting, during their outing for jackals near the border with Kazakhstan, they noticed predators with an unusual coloration in the reed thickets. "They had white spots on their fur. At first, we thought they were stray dogs, but upon closer inspection, we realized they were jackals," shares the hunter.
Irina Stezhkova, a biology specialist, explained that these jackals are albinos, which is related to a genetic mutation that causes their bodies to lack the pigment melanin. "Albinism can be either complete or partial, as in this case. Such individuals are extremely rare in the wild. This is a recessive trait that appears only when the corresponding gene is present in both parents. It is likely that the culled jackals are a result of inbreeding. Albinos in the wild face greater survival challenges compared to normal individuals. One reason is that their white spots make them more visible to potential prey. There have been recorded sightings of albino jackals in Russia, India, and some regions of Africa," she added.
