Whether you’re into hunting or you just like taking nature hikes, running into a deer is bound to bring a little excitement to your day. But running into one that has a rare fur pattern or some other uncommon genetic detail is enough to make you think you’ve just hit the jackpot.
In 2015, a herd of deer was spotted in Wisconsin. Not only was being able to film them a streak of good luck in itself, but they all happened to share an incredibly rare genetic trait known as piebald, which is essentially a partial form of albinism.
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Check them out for yourself!
In a video uploaded to YouTube by ViralHog , you can see the entire herd, which consists of adult and young whitetail deer. Nearly all of them have large patches of white fur alongside the brown/gray fur that’s more typical for their species. It gives them a pattern effect similar to that of a calico cat.
According to WhiskyRiff , piebald is caused by a rare genetic mutation similar to albinism but doesn’t fully affect their fur, eye, and hoof pigmentation the way full albinism does.
It’d probably be hard to stay unimpressed by these beautiful deer.
The WhiskyRiff article continues to state that in Wisconsin, piebald deer are born at a rate of 1 in 20,000. Finding just one might not be as rare as finding an albino, but it’s still going to be a pretty uncommon occurrence. And finding a whole herd like this is basically unheard of!
Many commenters under the YouTube video were quick to express just how beautiful and majestic they found those piebald deer, and I can’t help but agree with them!
They’re so beautiful, in fact, that some took issue with hunting them.
Plenty of commenters were adamant in their stance that an animal that looks this majestic and occurs so rarely in the wild should be left alone. After all, they could carry their genes on to more offspring, which would mean the potential for more piebald deer out there.
On the other hand, they would make incredible trophies.
Other viewers were clearly hunters and would love the opportunity to take a piebald down as a trophy (especially the large buck seen in the video). Though there are definitely debates around the ethics of hunting piebald deer, the one thing everyone can agree on is that they are absolutely beautiful animals.
