At an abandoned army depot in Seneca, New York, a herd of white deer roams among empty bunkers. The weapons storehouse is closed, the land sold to the highest bidder. Now these extraordinary forest creatures face an uncertain future.
White deer are unusual—a playful, God-made genetic quirk. White deer are a natural variant of brown ones. They’re not albino (lacking pigment in eyes and hair). These ghostly deer lack color only in their fur.
White deer are rare but not unheard of. Small herds of white deer inhabit protected sites in Ireland. Some ramble the campus of a laboratory in Illinois. But the Seneca Army Depot has the largest known population of white deer.
The U.S. Army built the 7,000-acre Seneca Depot in 1941—just a month before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The depot became one of the most important Cold War storehouses. It kept bombs and ammo in 500 steel-and-concrete bunkers called igloos. The United States used it for nearly 60 years.
In the 1950s, an Army commander forbade soldiers from shooting the ghostly deer. Protected by that decree and a 24-mile fence, the animals flourished.
People come from all over to see the Seneca white deer. "They're a huge tourist attraction," a local store owner says. The shop sells "White Deer Poop," a candy made from white chocolate, almonds, and cranberries.
Seneca Depot closed in 2000. But the deer stayed. About 200-300 white deer now call the area home. Once the Army finishes cleaning the site, the land and the deer will be in the care of new owners.
That worries some locals. They fear the new landlords might allow folks looking for a unique trophy to hunt the white deer.
For now the white wonders forage the woods and fields surrounding the old bunkers, cracked roads, and rusty railroad tracks. Visitors aren't allowed inside the fence. But early mornings and evenings, cars pull to the edge of the depot property. Their eager occupants hope to catch just a glimpse of the otherworldly ghost deer.
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the Earth is full of your creatures. — Psalm 104:24
