You wait for years to see a white stag… then three come along at once! Onlookers are amazed to spot trio of rare deer grazing together in a field
- The three white stags were seen grazing with does in the fields of Hertfordshire
- Loss of pigmentation in the animals is caused by a condition called leucism
- A white stag was shot soon after discovery on Exmoor in 2007 and its head taken
Seeing one white stag is a rare enough occurrence, but the appearance of three together really is like something from a fairy tale.
This enchanting trio were seen grazing with does in the fields of Hertfordshire.
White stags, whose loss of pigmentation is caused by a condition called leucism, are rarely seen in the wild.
Their ghostly appearance makes them easy targets for trophy hunters. A white stag was shot soon after its discovery on Exmoor in 2007 and its head taken.
The three rare white stags were seen grazing with does in the fields of Hertfordshire
What happened to those who slaughtered it could be another story… legend has it anyone who kills a white stag is cursed for the rest of their lives.
In fact, legends surround the animals. They have been depicted as messengers from beyond the grave, or as spiritual guides.
In fiction, they have appeared in the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by CS Lewis, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien and the Harry Potter novels by JK Rowling.
The loss of pigmentation in the animals, who are rarely seen in the wild, is caused by a condition called leucism
Sightings are few and far between, with individual white stags spotted in Dorset and western Scotland in recent years.
Leucism is a genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment of an animal’s hair and skin.
It occurs in both stags and does in two of Britain’s native species, the red and the fallow
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