Resident says he spotted a rare white deer in Berkhamsted
A Hertfordshire resident has claimed to have spotted an extremely rare animal during the Berkhamsted Half Marathon.
Nick Wood says that in the woods near to the half marathon track, he saw a white stag.
These animals have taken on symbolic meaning and mythical status in folklore that dates back to 5th and 6th centuries. White stags are known to represent mankind's spiritual quest, according to Arthurian tales. This symbolism relates to the way the creature is hard to capture and can avoid detection.
Sadly, Nick was unable to get a clear photo of the rare albino deer. Nick says by the time he had closed other applications on his phone and gained access to his camera, the deer had scarpered away to the other side of the field.
According to The British Deer Society, true sightings of albino deer are very rare in the UK. Charles Smith-Jones, a technical advisor writes that most sightings are different breeds of deer that have coats that are simply paler than normal, or have skewbald markings.
Nick said he took the photo of the deer concerned that ‘no one would believe’ he saw the uncommon animal. He saw the animals while his family were helping out at the half marathon by volunteering.
Further analysis from a deer management company suggests that only one in 100,000 deers that are born across the world, are true white-tailed deer. It is also said that many of the fawns survive beyond the first year of their lives.