The Odds of Seeing an Albino Deer

Albino white-tailed deer may be neat to see, but did you know that a true albino occurs in only one of out of 100,000 births and very few fawns survive beyond the first year of life? It’s true. For an albino deer to live over seven years is extremely unusual — almost unheard of.

The albino whitetail buck seen above is a true albino. In cases of true albinism, albino deer lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin, and, in the case of deer, the iris of the eyes, pink or blue, and the hoofs a pale gray. In some areas, albino deer are even protected by law. However, most states do not protect deer with color abnormalities.