Residents and hunters are at odds over the fate of a rare albino moose spotted roaming the forests of a rural Norwegian province.

Locals living in Ostfold province want the white moose to remain off-limits during hunting season, which opened earlier this month. They've nicknamed it Albin and printed T-shirts and bumper stickers featuring the animal.

However, some local hunters and scientists want the moose shot, saying they fear it could breed and spread its abnormalities throughout the herd.

A scientist at the University of Oslo told the newspaper Moss Avis that the albino moose is a genetic "mistake," and that spreading its genes could indeed weaken the herd.

"That so many people want the white moose to live is an emotional issue," Morten Brommdal told the paper. "It is exciting to have such a rarity rustling around. But if it is spared, we risk the moose's breeding qualities spreading."

The lack of colour is thought to be caused by a recessive gene that occurs within the broader moose population.

Sigmund Lerheim, the head of a local wildlife committee in Ostfold, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that he can't guarantee the moose will be protected. Hunting quotas set limits based on age and sex, not colour, he said.

Scientists say there is a report of at least one albino moose each year among Scandanavia's estimated 450,000 moose. They usually have inferior sight or hearing and their lack of pigmentation makes them more visible to predators.

In March, Ontario passed a law to protect white moose in the province's northeastern Folyet area, near Timmins. The government said it made the decision to encourage eco-tourism and to mark the cultural significance of the white moose to First Nations people.