Hunters bid for right to kill rare white deer

An extremely rare white deer discovered in the Scottish lowlands has become the subject of a bidding war between hunters wanting to kill it.

An extremely rare white deer discovered in the Scottish lowlands has become the subject of a bidding war between hunters wanting to kill it.

The white-coated roebuck, which experts say is not an albino, is so unusual that only a handful have been

wanted: Only a handful of the white-coated roebuck have been seen in Britain since the end of World War II

seen in Britain since the end of the World War II.

Rs 4.3 lakh

Kevin Stuart, who has the stalking rights to the 3,000-acre estate where the wild deer lives, hopes to get up to u00a36,000 (Rs 4.3 lakh), four times the norm, from a trophy-seeking client when the hunting season opens in three weeks.

But animal activists were horrified at the prospect of the animal being shot and have nicknamed it Pearl.

Extremely rare

White deer of other species are far more common, but Charlie Jacoby, editor of Sporting Rifle magazine, said, "A white roebuck is extraordinary, a once-in-a-decade deer. Anyone who loves deer stalking will think about trying to shoot it."

He said that as long as the animal survives, the magazine will run a "white roebuck diary", while a film is also in production for a sports satellite television channel. The buck-shooting seasons starts on April 1 and runs for seven months.