Animal magic: Woman has 'fairytale' experience after spotting rare white deer in the UK - watch the video

There are some fairytale creatures that only belong on the pages of books and don’t exist in reality, but there are some that don’t seem like they should be real, but they actually are.

One of those creatures is a white deer, which is incredibly rare but can be found in parts of the UK - but you’ll only see one if you’re very lucky.

One of those extremely lucky people was teenager Esha Patel, aged 19, who saw one of these beautiful deer while out on a fishing trip with her dad.

The Cardiff University student from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said she had a “fairytale experience” after spotting two brown deer and one "dazzling white" deer. She described the experience as "breathtaking".

Incredibly, not only did Patel manage to see the deer, she also managed to capture it on video so she can relive the magical moment for many years to come. She said: "The white one came so close - only three metres away! It was beautiful and so cute. I think it liked me because I threw it some bread - I loved it."

According to wildlife sources, the chances of seeing the species in the UK are “extremely rare”. Patel said: "After I saw the deer I read that the chances of spotting them are around one in 30,000. Apparently it's really good luck to see them so I was going to buy a lottery ticket.”

The specific colouring of deer is so unique that Patel’s dad was unconvinced that was what he and his daughter had actually seen, until they did some research and reviewed their video. Patel added: "We have never seen one before and my dad was like are you sure it was a deer and not a goat? So we had to re-watch the videos when we got home to confirm it.''

White deer are said to be a symbol of happiness to the indigenous people of northern Europe. They are also uncommon, making up less than 1% of the deer population, and are also known as leucistic deer. Leucistic deer are not a separate species of deer and any type of deer can be leucistic. A genetic mutation that causes a lack of pigment production causes leucism.

Other kinds of animals, such as squirrels, cats, and horses, can also be leucistic. Most leucistic animals have only partial leucism. This means that only parts of their skin or fur lack pigmentation. For example, a partially leucistic deer may have white spots on an otherwise normal coat. Completely white deer with leucism are rarer and these animals have fully white coats. In November last year, three new baby white deer, called Vanilla, Mr Whippy and 99, were born in the UK.

The exact location of the deer, which was spotted on Sunday 8 October, will not be identified in order to ensure the safety of the rare creature. Patel said: "I do think these beautiful animals should be protected and loved - hunters think they are worth a lot of money, but you can't put a price on this."