The fairytale creature

Maybe you have already heard the tales about them. The white kings and queens of Värmland’s forests. Our white moose is famous all over the world.

The magic and ghost-like animal’s all-white appearance is not due to albinism, as one may think. No, these moose obtain this rare feature from a recessive gene that causes the animal to grow white hair with specks of brown. A condition referred to as piebald.

Moose experts estimate that there are only just 100 of them in Sweden right now – out of the total population of around 400 000. And many of them live in Värmland. The best chance of glimpsing the unique white moose is in the western part of the county, in the areas surrounding Arvika and Glaskogen. As with all encounters with wildlife, a large measure of patience and respect is recommended. With a little luck, you might be the fortunate one to capture the mythical white animal in a photo.