Seneca white deer

Isolated population in Seneca County, New York

The Seneca white deer are a rare herd of deer living within the confines of the former Seneca Army Depot in Seneca County, New York. When the 10,600-acre (43 km2) depot was created in 1941, a 24-mile (39 km) fence was erected around its perimeter, isolating a small herd of white-tailed deer, some of which had white coats. These deer are not albino, but instead have leucism, which is an abnormal genetic condition that carries a set of recessive genes for all-white coats. While little is known about what caused leucism in the white-tailed deer, especially for this herd, researchers have noticed that its isolation causes high levels of inbreeding. With inbreeding, it leaves recessive alleles of the white-tailed population to be expressed. This recessive trait does not pose a danger to the animal. However, it is very rare.

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