Native Americans considered a white deer to be sacred and a bringer of good fortune.

Even today, hunters consider it to be bad luck to shoot one.

For the last few years Mill Creek Park has had at least one.
A former park naturalist, Bob Coggeshall even named one doe 'Bella.'

He says he bought a home up against the park just be close to nature and he sees a lot of it.

Bob says unfortunately, they only live to be around two years old because they stand out too much and are a target of predators like coyotes.

"They don't have that natural coloration that allows them to blend in with their background. White deer stand out. They have a shorter lifespan. Because of that recessive gene they aren't as healthy either," said Coggeshall.

Bob says Bella and a button buck that were around the park both died over the past couple of years but there were new ones born this year and have been seen locally.

Albinos are nothing new to the park, and believe it or not, they aren't exactly one in a million, more like one in 20,000. And most of the ones that seem to be albino are actually called Leucistic. Albino means a total loss of pigment while leucistic means a partial loss. So there is some brown fur in there.

"How you can tell the difference is in the eyes. They will still have brown eyes and brown nose. A true albino has pink eyes, pink nose and almost clear hooves," said Nick Derico with Mill Creek MetroParks.

So if you see one, think of it as a good omen, just like Native Americans did over a thousand years ago.