Deer me, the odd one out
12th January 2006
Oh deer: One of the herd has a problem with its camouflage
Down in the forest, the herd of deer stood stock still.
Anxious not to be spotted, they let their grey winter coats blend with the tangles of dead bracken and lichen-covered trees.
But for this herd - running wild in the Forest of Dean - there was a rather obvious snag. Born white by a genetic coincidence, one of the fallow deer did not so much stand out from the crowd as scream for attention.
"Being white is rather a two-edged sword," said Peter Watson, director of the Deer Initiative, which monitors Britain's deer population. "It's very handy for us because they give an indication of where the deer are, but they are also a bit ot a magnet for poachers."
Local fame
This one has become rather a celebrity in the Gloucestershire forest since photographer Nick Davis saw it as he drove from Parkend to Lydney.
"I spotted something white on the bank," he said. "I turned around and there she was."
Although some people incorrectly call such creatures 'freaks of nature' or 'albinos', their white pigmentation is a recognised genetic trait.
Mr Watson said: "There are quite significant numbers and they tend to get whiter as they grow older.
"The rest of the deer in the herd do not treat them any differently."
dailymail.co.uk
12th January 2006
Oh deer: One of the herd has a problem with its camouflage
Down in the forest, the herd of deer stood stock still.
Anxious not to be spotted, they let their grey winter coats blend with the tangles of dead bracken and lichen-covered trees.
But for this herd - running wild in the Forest of Dean - there was a rather obvious snag. Born white by a genetic coincidence, one of the fallow deer did not so much stand out from the crowd as scream for attention.
"Being white is rather a two-edged sword," said Peter Watson, director of the Deer Initiative, which monitors Britain's deer population. "It's very handy for us because they give an indication of where the deer are, but they are also a bit ot a magnet for poachers."
Local fame
This one has become rather a celebrity in the Gloucestershire forest since photographer Nick Davis saw it as he drove from Parkend to Lydney.
"I spotted something white on the bank," he said. "I turned around and there she was."
Although some people incorrectly call such creatures 'freaks of nature' or 'albinos', their white pigmentation is a recognised genetic trait.
Mr Watson said: "There are quite significant numbers and they tend to get whiter as they grow older.
"The rest of the deer in the herd do not treat them any differently."
dailymail.co.uk
