A mythical and ghostly creature has
appeared in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands -- and has been
caught on camera.
The rare white stag, from the red deer species, is believed
to be among just a tiny handful living in Britain, according to
a conservation group.
White stags are seen as a magical and powerful force in
many mythologies.
The animal's ghostly glow comes from a recessive gene which
causes leucism, a condition which reduces the normal brown
coloring in hair and skin. They are not albinos, which have red
eyes due to lack of pigment.
In Celtic traditions, white stags represent messengers from
the afterlife. Arthurian legend has it that the creature can
never be caught -- King Arthur's pursuit of the animal
represents mankind's spiritual quest.
The last official recording of a white red stag in Britain,
not to be confused with the more common white fallow deer, was
last October when the body of one was found decapitated on the
moors between Devon and Cornwall.
clipped from: news.yahoo.com 