Seneca white deer facts for kids
The Seneca white deer are a special group of deer that live in a protected area in Seneca County, New York. This area used to be a military base called the Seneca Army Depot. In 1941, when the depot was built, a long fence was put up around it. This fence trapped a small group of white-tailed deer, and some of them had white coats.
These white deer are not albino. Albino animals have no color at all, even in their eyes. Instead, these deer have a special set of recessive genes that give them all-white coats. This means their fur is white, but their eyes are usually brown. Because the deer were isolated by the fence, they often bred with each other, which helped the white deer trait become more common.
In the 1950s, the military leader at the depot decided that no one should hunt the white deer. Since then, the deer population has grown a lot. There are now about 700 deer in the herd, and around 300 of them are white. This makes it the largest group of white deer in the world!
What Happened to the White Deer's Home?
After the military depot closed, people worried about what would happen to the deer. White deer are easier for hunters and animals like coyotes to spot. So, a large group of white deer would not survive well in the wild.
The depot land is a very big area in New York that could be used for new projects. Some parts of it have already been used. For example, a new state prison was built on one side. Also, old military living areas were turned into homes for teenagers who needed help.
There were ideas to buy a large part of the land to build a center that would make ethanol and biofuel for electricity. This center would also grow plants like willow trees and switch grass to turn into fuel. In 2006, a plan was suggested to turn the land into a special park to protect the deer and a Cold War museum. However, this plan was not approved at that time.
A New Home for the White Deer
In 2016, a local businessman named Earl Martin bought about 7,000 acres of the property. He named it Deer Haven Park, LLC. Later, Mr. Martin made an agreement with Dennis Money, who started a group called Seneca White Deer, Inc. They decided to work together. Mr. Money's group would lease part of the land and run it as a special park to protect the white deer.
After some work to fix the fences and build a welcome center and museum, the Seneca White Deer park officially opened for tours in November 2017. The tours stopped for a short time in December 2019. But they started again on Saturdays in June 2020. Now, visitors can take self-guided car tours and even download an app to learn more as they drive through the park.
