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Majestic white moose spotted in Sweden believed to have genetic mutation

Click to play video: 'Rare white moose spotted in Sweden'
Rare white moose spotted in Sweden
WATCH: Rare white moose spotted in Sweden. – Aug 14, 2017

An extremely rare white moose in Varmland County, in west-central Sweden was spotted taking a dip in on Aug. 11.

The footage has been circulating online after viewers became enraptured with the animal’s beauty.

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Hans Nilsson, the man who filmed the footage, told a local radio station that he has long dreamt of capturing the mesmerizing animal on video.

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Nilsson, who is a local commissioner in Eda, Sweden and a “nature lover” said white moose are extremely rare.

He told a local radio station that there are only 50 white moose in Western Varmland, where the video was captured.

According to several media reports, there are a total of 100 white moose throughout the country, out of the 300,000 to 400,000 moose population.

Although the moose looks like it is albino at first glance, some experts have pointed out that it is most likely not the case.

Albinism is an inherited disorder usually caused by a lack of melanin, the pigment responsible for the colour of the skin, hair and eyes.

Albino animals have pink or red eyes but the white moose spotted in Sweden, doesn’t.

Several media reports have attributed the all-white fur to a genetic mutation.

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It certain parts of Canada, like Ontario for example, regulations were passed to protect the rare white-coloured moose, who are easy targets in the wild because of their visible colour.

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