He couldn’t help but buck the trend. You can’t blame the white male deer that stood out like a ghostly apparition in the woods. It isn’t his fault, as Lady Gaga would say, he was born that way.

A white stag has been the talk of a neighborhood and residents are on the lookout. Not sharing which Island neighborhood is intentional on my part, as he is vulnerable enough without trophy-hunters seeking him out.

Likely, not many would, since white deer have long been believed to bring bad luck if killed. The hunter that slays a white deer might never bag another deer, or experience misfortune and even death, according to superstition. Some states prohibit the killing of white deer, and hunting them is illegal in Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, parts of Montana and Wisconsin. Others consider these unique animals an inferior stock that should be taken in order to stop these deer from passing on this uncommon trait.

White deer are a fascinating anomaly. Their colorless condition is a trait caused by the animal’s genetic code. 

Deer, like other animals, can be albino. Albinism is a rare genetic circumstance defined by the absence of pigment, so all parts of the animal (including its hooves) are white and its eyes and nose are red or pink. The prevalence of albinism has been estimated to be anywhere from 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 100,000. The affected animals are known to also have poor eyesight.

Leucism is another condition that will cause a lack of coloration. These deer exhibit an all-white condition, but have black eyes, noses and hooves. Full leucism is found in only one per cent of deer populations and I suspect that the deer in question was one of those few due to its observed dark eyes and nose. Deer that are regularly colored with white patches are neither leucistic or albino. These mixed pigmented and white patched deer are piebald, and these animals also have skeletal abnormalities and other physical defects.

No matter which situation results in a white deer, legend and lore have followed this mythical creature. Considered supernatural in European and Celtic mythology, the magical white stag was believed to have powers beyond its colored brethren and could bring messages from the other world. King Arthurian knights were sent on adventures by a white stag to fight gods and fairies, and the King himself tried in vain to capture one. 

A white deer was a symbol of King Richard and a nemesis of David, King of Scotland, who once gave chase of a white deer only to be thrown off his horse and charged by the creature. David called out to God for help as he grasped the buck’s antlers, which turned into a large cross, and the creature vanished. And then, of course, there is Narnia. The white stag is believed to grant wishes and was chased until it tumbled out of the wardrobe.

Indigenous tribes also held these rare beasts in high regard. When the Lenape saw a pair of white deer together, they believed it was a sign that Indigenous people of Dawnland would come together and lead the world with their wisdom.

No matter whether you believe in the magic or mystery of the buck, the sighting is otherworldly. The neighborhood has thus far been astonished and appreciative of the unusual being in their midst and are rooting for his survival. He is a stand-out specimen that has, ironically, added colored to their drab winter. 

Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.