Extremely Rare White Deer Sighting in UK Fishing Trip Caught in Video

An extremely rare white deer was spotted by a daughter who went on a fishing excursion with his father in the UK, and they managed to capture it on camera, which they watched on loop just to confirm their sighting.

2 Brown, 1 White Deer During a Fishing Trip

Esha Patel, a 19-year-old student originating from Cheltenham, England, noticed an exceedingly uncommon all-white deer recently while out fishing with her father.

Patel is a student at Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales, at the moment.

While out fishing with her father on October 8, Patel noticed three deer. One of them had an all-white appearance. The incredibly rare sighting of the white deer was captured on video and can be viewed below this article.

Her father questioned Patel if she was certain it wasn't a goat after she claimed that it was something they had never seen before.

The other two animals, according to the student, were brown, but the third was "dazzling white."

Extremely Rare Sighting: The Luck and Curse

White deer are often fallow deer, according to the British Deer Society, and sightings throughout the UK are "extremely rare."

When Patel returned home, she had to rewatch the films she had taken of the white deer to make sure it was, in fact, a deer.

More amused, Patel decided to purchase a lottery ticket after learning that seeing such an animal is supposedly extremely lucky.

The college student continued by saying that it is impossible to put a value on a unique deer like this one.

Patel believes that these lovely animals need to be loved and protected.

One of the most enduring urban legends states that a hunter who kills a white deer would suffer a string of misfortune, possibly never bagging another deer ever.

The concept seems to be prevalent across hunting cultures. In his book Kudu, hunting author Peter Flack writes that African hunters think that anyone who kills a white antelope will suffer bad luck, maybe even death.

Also Read: White Peacock: Geting to Know These Rare Pets with Unique Genetic Mutation

Fallow vs. Albino Deer

In many instances, white deer are species widely distributed across the UK and recognized for their white color variation.

White fallow deer are less common compared to the three primary color types - common, menil, and black. When present, they tend to stand out conspicuously amidst their herd or when concealed in the environment.

Fallow deer are unique due to their various color variations, a result of selective breeding in the deer parks where they were originally housed before becoming feral in the UK.

White-furred fallow deer aren't albinos; they possess normal eye pigmentation, although their hooves and noses may be somewhat lighter than other color types. Exceptionally pale coats in any deer result from reduced melanin production, responsible for skin pigmentation, while excess melanin results in darker coats.

Albino deer, on the other hand, lack all pigmentation, sporting completely white hides, pink eyes, noses, and hooves. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, albino deer are extremely rare, occurring only once in every 30,000 deer.