An albino mule deer, well known by Casper residents on the westside of town, has died, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

The doe was found dead on Thanksgiving Day in a resident's backyard in the Robertson Road area.

"This deer was sort of an icon to many in the Robertson Road area of west Casper," said Robin Kepple, information specialist for the Casper Game and Fish office. "We regularly received reports from people who spotted her and phone calls from people wanting to know if she was still around. Seeing this genetic rarity will be missed by many."

Warden John Lund responded to the scene and said there was no evidence of foul play. He believes the deer died of natural causes.

Biologists are uncertain of the deer's age, but a Star-Tribune photo shows the animal in December 1999.

"So if this is the same deer, she was 9 or 10 years old when she died," Lund said. "That is a good long life for a wild deer, especially an albino."

Albinism is a recessive trait found in many animals including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even plants. Albino animals do not have the gene for normal coloration and do not produce the enzyme responsible for skin, hair, and tissue coloration.

The result of this genetic oddity is the total absence of body pigment. The eyes of a true albino are pink because blood vessels behind the lenses show through the unpigmented irises.

While the Robertson Road doe had several fawns over the years, it is unknown whether any of them were also albinos. When carriers of albinism breed, there is a 1-in-4 chance they will produce an albino fawn. Recessive genetic traits typically become less common unless they provide a survival advantage or are artificially enhanced through selective breeding.