A Pure White Yearling Deer, Is That Unusual?
While driving back from my in-laws on May 25, 2008 my husband and I decided to take this other route home and go through Evergreen, CO. It was a beautiful day and we had enjoyed our day with my husband’s family, I had my camera in my purse and was very pleased with the pictures I had taken in Denver of the family event. When all of a sudden my husband and I had to stop the car to let some white tailed deer were crossing the road, this is quite normal in the spring and summer here in the mountains of Colorado. My husband and I both looked to the right where the deer were crossing from and noticed the most beautiful site we had ever seen! I really can’t tell you if this was a true albino yearling deer but it was all white. I immediately told my husband to pull over! I had the camera in my hands! So he stopped the car and I went back up the road a little ways and was on the right side of the road! I started taking pictures about 50 feet away and you can draw your conclusions on the picture if it is either a true albino or a pure white, white tail deer.
I have lived up in the mountains of Colorado for over 35 years and that was the first time I had ever heard of this. I felt very privileged in seeing this awesome site. And felt God was showing me the beauty that he creates. I told my mother about the deer and she told me, she had seen about 20 years ago a albino Elk and she wished she would have had a camera like I did. She had seen the albino elk in Conifer. Being a native of Colorado I have been blessed with the opportunity in appreciating the wild life that lives here. I would much rather shoot a camera then a gun, I understand about hunting and why we do it. In a matter of fact I really like venison and some other wild life meats. I want to leave that to the hunters and I will shoot with the camera.
I was so excited about getting the pictures; I came home and started researching about legends and the rarity of the white deer. There are many legends pertaining to the albino and white deer, mainly in the Indian religion. Now before getting into all of the legends and rarity, my personal feeling is no matter what facts I give you here, I believe God created some awesome, breath taking animals and what I seen I will always remember how I felt when I took those pictures. (It’s indescribable and I hope you can feel this way some day)
In my research I found out that they are rare, only 1 in 30,000 are white or albino. Albino fawns rarely reach adulthood due to predators. Besides the fact that they are solid white and cannot conceal themselves in their environment, they also usually have one or more of the following genetic problems: Poor eyesight, poor hearing, and deformities of their feet and legs. This is also the reason that adult albino deer have a life expectancy of only 3 to 4 years. They make an easy target for both hunters and predators. In order for albino fawn to be born both parents must be albino, or if both parents carry the albino gene (they would be normally colored) they have a 1 in 4 chance of producing a fawn that is albino.
Then researching into it more, was it really an albino or is it a rare white, white tail deer? Among the questions most often asked are “”What causes some deer to be albinos?”” “”How common are they?”” “”Are they protected?”” and “”Can they reproduce?”” Albinism is a recessive trait found in mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even plants. These plants and animals do not have the gene for normal coloration and do not produce the enzyme responsible for skin, hair and tissue coloration. Albinism is the total absence of body pigment. The eyes of an albino are pink, because blood vessels behind the lenses show through the un-pigmented irises. To read more go to:I started researching the religious connection the white deer had and I read this: Let me begin this true story, by saying there is no legend to the Great Spirit and the great White Deer, of the Lenape.
The White Deer is not a story nor legend, but a spiritual truth that has been passed from generation to generation of the Lenape people.
The White Deer, like the White Buffalo of the western First Nation tribes, is a holy spirit. The White Deer is a messenger as true as many holy stories of First Nations people. Most all every Native American tribe had some manner of “”spirit”” belief regarding albino animals. The Albino was protected by most Native American customs. Within the Northeastern Woodlands, Leni Lenape, Susquehannock, Iroquois (Six Nations) etc. One primary principle: The Albino was not to be hunted or killed. This taboo carried various curses. Hope those hunters are listening to this part. There are plenty of others dear why take the white one anyway?
My conclusions are, I feel extremely privileged and honored that My husband and we were able to see something so rare, so beautiful and so breath taking. I know I will hold this in my experiences and will never forget that day or that moment when I took those pictures of that White, white tail deer. Go to my resource area, you can go to the mountain girl web-site and take a look at the awesome site.