White Stag

Marley Farley · Feb 15, 2008

Yea Gogs look what I found...!!!! It is this week..!!!!
From the Gaurdian..

This article appeared in the Guardian on Wednesday February 13 2008 . It was last updated at 15:31 on February 14 2008.

The sighting of a rare white stag at a secret location in the Scottish Highlands has caused a stir among three very different groups of people: wildlife watchers, collectors of folklore, and the hunting community.

This all-white version of the familiar red deer stag was discovered by a conservation worker from the John Muir Trust, who managed to capture video footage of the elusive creature. Experts used the film to confirm the deer's identity, explaining that its pale coloration is due to a recessive gene, which reduces the pigment in the animal's hair and skin and gives it a ghostly appearance. The condition, known as leucism, is very rare in this species, with genuine white stags only occurring occasionally in the wild - examples have only appeared a handful of times in the past 50 years. Incidentally, the many pubs bearing the sign of the White Hart are in fact named after the white version of the fallow deer, which occurs far more frequently.

The trust has been careful not to release the exact location of the beast, and for good reason. The last white stag discovered in Britain - on Exmoor last year - was soon shot by poachers, with the body hung from a tree and its head removed as a trophy.

Those responsible may now be quaking in their boots: it was once believed that anyone who killed such a rare and sacred animal would be cursed for ever. Other legends depict the white stag as a creature that can never be caught by hunters or as a messenger from beyond the grave.

In this life, if he can avoid being shot, this particular white stag can expect to live to the age of about 25. He is currently thought to be six or seven years old, and is expected to begin breeding in another two or three years, with the strong possibility that at least some of his offspring will carry the gene for whiteness.

Ã?Â· Stephen Moss is a writer, naturalist and broadcaster based at the BBC Natural History Unit.
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Also this other article about the Scottish one

Marley Farley · Feb 15, 2008

And..... Close to my heart, this from the Mail....

Grazing quietly in the forest opening, this majestic creature seems gently oblivious of its radiance and beauty.

With its antlers held high and its thick coat luminous in the morning light, the animal stops briefly among its fellow deer, turns and sniffs the air.

While his brown companions blend easily into the landscape, he stands out bright, bold and exposed.

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White hart

The white hart seen in the New Forest
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For the precious moments he is still, he seems to have stepped out of a stranger, more mysterious world.

Far from being just another deer, this is a white hart - an animal both rare and revered in equal measure - which was spotted this week roaming the New Forest.

Since time immemorial, the white hart has been a creature surrounded by mystery, a beast whose very existence is suffused with myth and legend.

An inescapable part of British folklore, its mystical quality led to it being adopted as a symbol of royalty, which is why a multitude of White Hart pubs is scattered around the country.

Some believe that this New Forest white hart could even be a direct descendant of the same white deer that Henry VII hunted in the area in the 15th century.

And for forest keeper Andy Shore, coming face to face with animal was an awe-inspiring experience.

"There's something quite eerie and beautiful about him that stops you in your tracks," he says.

"He can be a ghostly-looking animal, especially if you come across him on a misty day, as I have on a few occasions."

He is white - but not albino - as a result of a rare genetic mutation resulting in a condition called leucism which changes the animal's pattern of pigmentation.

The parents of a white hart can both be brown - they just need to have the same recessive gene to produce a white calf.

The sighting of this white five-year-old male fallow deer comes days after an equally rare Scottish equivalent, a white stag, was spotted in the Highlands of Scotland, ranging across a glen with a herd of red stags.

"I thought it was a sheep when I saw it because of its mottled colour," says Fran Lockhart, 45, of The John Muir Trust conservation body.

"I managed to get quite near to him, and he was even more magnificent up close."

But there is a high price to pay for this magnificence. The rarity of these beasts is such that their mounted heads and antlers can fetch thousands of pounds.

And even though their location is usually a closely guarded secret, poachers are unscrupulous.

Last October, they shot a treasured white hart, known affectionately as Snowy by local farmers and gamekeepers, on the border of Devon and Cornwall.

The animal was found decapitated and hanging from a tree, its head and antlers taken as a blood-drenched trophy.

Those who killed this stag, however, may have got more than they bargained for.

Like many legends, those surrounding the white hart come with their fair share of curses and prophecies of bad luck to anyone who crosses the creature.

For the ancient Celts, the white hart was a harbinger of doom, a living symbol that some taboo has been transgressed or a moral law broken.

To come across a white hart was to realise that some terrible evil or judgment was imminent.

The white hart's reputation improved in Arthurian legends, where its appearance was a sign to Arthur and his knights that it was time to embark on a quest - it was considered the one animal that could never be caught so it came to symbolise humanity's never-ending pursuit of knowledge and the unattainable.

Soon, the white hart was appearing in stories throughout Europe.

To Hungarians, it was a white hart that led their ancestors to their homeland; in a French legend, anyone who killed a white hart was cursed with the pain of unrequited love.

It was not long before Christianity managed to appropriate the white hart for its own purposes: the white stag came to symbolise Christ and his presence on earth.

Fundamental to this myth was the story of David I, King of Scotland, whose encounter with this animal led directly to the establishment of the royal palace, Holyrood House, in Edinburgh.

It is said that in 1128, a rebellious King David was warned by his priest not to go hunting on the Feast Day of the Holy Rood (Holy Cross).

Stubbornly, he set off on the hunt and came across a large white deer, which he chased.

Thrown from his horse, the deer charged him. David cried out to God to save him, and at that precise instant, the deer's antlers miraculously turned into a cross, and the animal vanished in a puff of smoke.

The shamed King built a church to the Holy Rood on the spot where his the vision occurred.

From then on, the white deer became a symbol of purity, redemption and good fortune in Scotland, and eventually took a leading position in English heraldry alongside its cousin, the mythic unicorn, whose horn was supposedly endowed with magical properties.

King Richard II adopted the white hart as his personal emblem.

Even today, white harts are seen to be lucky charms, and anyone who spots one is said to have a dose of good fortune just around the corner.
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Gogs · Feb 15, 2008

Awww Marley you have made my day,thankyou so much for this.
Great article & the pic.just brilliant,is it ok by you for me to save the pic?

Marley Farley · Feb 15, 2008

Here is the other article & photo about the Scots one... Not sure what happened there.... :rolleyes:

Of course you can save both the photos Gogs... :D

February 12, 2008
Ã¢â?¬Ë?MysticalÃ¢â?¬â?¢ white stag roams Highlands
A rare white deer, which has been spotted by a member of a nature charity while she was on an expedition on the west coast of Scotland
Melanie Reid

Since time immemorial it was a messenger from the afterlife, a mystical creature that chilled the blood of kings and commoners alike. But now a young white stag has appeared in the Highlands of Scotland, gathering his own legends.

The John Muir Trust, a conservation body, yesterday confirmed that a white stag is living at a secret location on the West Coast. He is believed to be the only white example of a red deer in Britain.

Officials have not disclosed the location where he has been spotted, but they confirmed that he was genuine by releasing photographic footage from two different sightings.

The most recent was two weeks ago when he had grown antlers and was running with a herd of other stags, wearing his heavy winter coat and in good condition, despite a harsh January. The first sighting had been last summer after he had shed his horns and was in his sleek coat.
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* Elusive creature of Arthurian legend

Fran Lockhart, 45, from the trust, was on a field trip when she became the first person to catch the stag on film. She said: Ã¢â?¬Å?It was quite thrilling Ã¢â?¬â?? amazing to crawl up so close to such a magnificent-looking animal. He looked almost ghostlike next to the group of young red stags that he was mixing with. When heÃ¢â?¬â?¢s not moving heÃ¢â?¬â?¢s quite well camouflaged Ã¢â?¬â?? he looks like a boulder covered in lichen.

Ã¢â?¬Å?The wind was in my favour and I watched him for about 45 minutes. He and his wee bachelor herd were grazing along the hillside before me.Ã¢â?¬Â

An encounter with a white deer is said to bring about profound change in a personÃ¢â?¬â?¢s life, but Ms Lockhart said she had none to report. Ã¢â?¬Å?I should have bought a lottery ticket the day I saw him,Ã¢â?¬Â she said ruefully.

The stag is believed to be young, perhaps 6 or 7 years old, and will not reach full maturity until 9 or 10. Conservationists say there is a chance that he might go on to sire white offspring when he mates. His colouring is from a recessive gene.

White deer are often mistakenly thought to be albinos, but their unusual condition is caused by leucism, a rare genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment in the animalÃ¢â?¬â?¢s hair and skin. Unlike albinos, which have characteristically red eyes, deer with leucism have normal colouring in their eyes.

The John Muir Trust safeguards some of the largest areas of Scottish wilderness, but is refusing to hint where the stag is for fear of poachers.

The last recorded wild white stag in Britain was shot by poachers in October last year on the border between Devon and Cornwall. Farmers and gamekeepers, who called him Snowy, had kept quiet about the stagÃ¢â?¬â?¢s whereabouts in an attempt to protect him. The killing provoked outrage. The stagÃ¢â?¬â?¢s 300lb (136kg) body was found decapitated, suggesting that the head had been taken as a trophy.

Those who did the killing challenged centuries of legend, which says that those who kill a sacred white stag bring down a curse upon their heads.
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Gogs · Feb 15, 2008

The Highlands stag does look more mature by what i can see.

Marley Farley · Feb 15, 2008

Just beautiful to see them both Gogs... Let's hope these are safe...!!!!

rosa · Feb 16, 2008

marley what a fantastic story and the pictures are fab, thank you for putting this up, will hope that these beautiful creatures are safe

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White Stag

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rosa Gardener

Planting Sorbaria (+ suckering on white Lilac)

Infestation of whitefly

Mimulus 'Georgie White' | Georgie White Monkey Flower

Mimulus 'Georgie White' | Georgie White Monkey Flower

White bugs on my raspberry plant- friend or foe?

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White Stag

Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

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Gogs Gardener

Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

Gogs Gardener

Marley Farley Affable Admin! Staff Member

rosa Gardener

Planting Sorbaria (+ suckering on white Lilac)

Infestation of whitefly

Mimulus 'Georgie White' | Georgie White Monkey Flower

Mimulus 'Georgie White' | Georgie White Monkey Flower

White bugs on my raspberry plant- friend or foe?

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