Flood waters have forced a rare animal out of a Sacramento wildlife preserve.
Driving along Interstate 5, drivers have reported seeing it – a snow white deer.
It’s actually an albino deer and it’s been wandering Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District’s Bufferlands with its mother and sibling.
“We first saw the deer in September, so we think it was born in the spring or fall," said Brian Young, a natural resource supervisor with Regional San.
The Bufferlands is a 2,000-acre wildlife reserve that surrounds Sacramento County's wastewater treatment plant. It’s a space that separates people from the facility.
“The Bufferland is not open for public access," Young said.
The Bufferlands is strictly for wildlife. People are not allowed. Young said deer don't normally live in the Bufferlands because of yearly flooding.
In 2012, about a half-dozen deer wandered in to the Bufferlands during the drought. To have an albino deer, however, is extremely rare.
"One thing about albino deer is their life span isn’t that long,” Young said. “That’s because they are conspicuous to predators and hunters."
Staff at the Bufferlands is monitoring the albino deer’s growth, but all they can do is try and keep people away and hope that the deer stays in the Bufferlands.
So if you are lucky enough to see the deer form the interstate – don't stop. Just take a mental picture or follow the deer on Regional San's Facebook page.