White ravens have been looking around all over Kenai for the past month. Gregory Messimer, a local photographer is taking pictures of the bird and he claims that this white bird is visually impressive and culturally symbolic.
Messimer is a photographer amateur in Kenai and has been taking photos and monitoring the bird for several weeks.
The first time he saw it was the 16th of June in North Kenai, among a group of black ravens that mainly resided there.
“The parents of this family had 7 chicks who produced the clone and one of the siblings has white feathers on the chest, and another had the reddish-colored feathers that cover its face and neck,” Messimer said.
Based on The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, ravens aren’t likely to be albino. This is a disorder which is caused by the absence of certain enzymes which make melanin. It results in a total absence of melanin’s pigment. It’s more of a leucistic. It’s an absence of pigment in certain feathers because of an absence of cells which create melanin.
Messimer claimed he was interested not just due to the bird’s visual differences however, the white raven holds symbolic significance in a variety of mythologies and religions.
“It’s an indication of omens or an omen, or an opportunity to be blessed, but in the end it’s about ‘change that is happening taking place in the world'” he explained. “Whether it’s good or not is dependent on the custom.”
In Greek mythology The white raven in Greek mythology is believed to be associated with the god Apollo. In the Haida traditions in northwestern Canada the white raven was believed to have brought the moon, sun and the stars down to earth however, it turned black after it sparked fire on humans.
Messimer claimed that “white raven” is also a expression.
“In Europe, it turns out that a “white raven’ is a term for something that is of a unlikely chance of being realized or even impossible,” he said.
The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge posted about the bird on Facebook as sightings started to come into the area, and declared it, “truly a once in once in a lifetime chance.” This refuge has confirmed that the bird was leucistic and not albino. The eyes are blue instead of red eyes, which suggests albinism.
Messimer is concerned about the outlook for the bird’s future. He believes that the white coat can make the raven prone to attack because melanin is the substance that gives structure to hair and the skin. They’re also more vulnerable to infections from bacteria as well as the sunburn and other cancers. He believes the bird will not be able to survive winter.
“The feathers that are white don’t permit it to hold heat as well as absorb heat which is why they’re reflective even in winter months,” the expert stated.
The goal, he stated is the bird could be captured by an organization like the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Girdwood or at the Alaska Raptor Center situated in Sitka. In the meantime the bird’s keeper is keeping an eye for the raven in order to take more pictures and hopes that this bird is a positive indication of the future.
