Like something out of a whimsical Christmas tale, an extremely rare white baby reindeer was recently spotted in Oslo, Norway by photographer Mads Nordsveen and the photos are enchanting.

The 24-year-old said: “I was walking in the mountains looking for nice landscapes for my travel photography when out of nowhere I saw this wonderful little creature.” While the animal was almost completely camouflaged by the wintery background, the photographer said it made no attempt to hide and even ‘posed’ for some mountain pictures.

But Nordsveen got more than pictures from the experience: “He came very close to me and we looked at each other straight in the eyes,” he recalled, “After some minutes the mother of the baby reindeer came out of trees just behind. It walked around for some minutes before running back to its mother. It was very magical and a fairy tale moment.”

White reindeer have an uncommon genetic mutation that strips their fur of pigment to allow them to blend into their snowy surroundings. Unlike albinos, they still have dark pigmentation in their eyes and antlers.

Image credits: catersnews

Image credits: catersnews

Image credits: catersnews

It’s not the first time this photographer/ explorer got lucky to meet a rare animal in person. He also got to meet a Lynx and wolves, both also in Northern Norway.

Image credits: Mads Nordsveen

Image credits: Mads Nordsveen