If I was a gambling man, I would be going to buy a lottery ticket after seeing something like this.
Piebald is a genetic trait in which the best explanation is that they look like they’re partly albino. Although, that’s not scientifically what is happening and you don’t get a piebald deer when a regular deer and an albino deer mate. The have more white on them than normal, but still have some normal colors along with pigmentation of the eyes and hoofs. Their coloration is due to a rare genetic mutation that affects less than one percent of the white-tailed deer population.
It is far more common than fully albino animals, but still very rare to see. In Wisconsin, piebalds are born about 1 in every 20,000 births. That’s a pretty low percentage for there to be tons of them together.
There’s also major debate of piebald deer and the ethics of shooting one. Many believe we should treat them like albino deer and completely leave them be, and some states even have rules against harvesting them. Letting them grow and spread their genetics can only lead to more being born, so hell, why not let them be?
This video starts off by showing us a monster piebald buck at the Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend, Wisconsin. As you notice the does around him, you can tell most of them have white splotches too. Then, every deer you look at seems to be a variation of piebald.
Something must be in the water in this area…
The video sums it all up in the description.
“This video captures a very rare herd of Pied/Calico whitetail deer were once common in Northern range. Due to overhunting in 1800s most were killed off.
Recessive gene appears once every 20,000 births. Legal to hunt and regarded as a trophy due to its rarity, but it is wise woodsman-ship to allow to reproduce and increase numbers.”
Pretty cool.
Man Finally Captures Incredible Footage Of Rare White Moose
What is this, Narnia?
Off color animals are the rarest and coolest things to come across in the wild.
Generally, they are truly once in a lifetime experiences, which is part of why spending time in the outdoors is so much fun. You never know what kind of once in a lifetime opportunities you might stumble upon.
This throwback to this 2017 video that perfectly encapsulates one of those experiences.
According to The Washington Post, nature lover Hans Nilsson chased after this guy for three years just to get a good look at him.
Finally, he came across the mystical moose, and two days in a row, he was able to encounter this amazing animal. Nilsson describes the experience perfectly.
“When I shot the video everything fell into place: the location, the light and the calmness. It was an experience to meet such a stately animal up close.”
That would be a dream, especially to have the opportunity to photograph and video an animal like this. It’s not often a Moose stays the calm for you to get in in pictures, especially one this rare.
Sweden is said to have 400,000 moose, but it’s said that only 100 of these white moose exist. This is also said to only be the second to ever make it on camera. That folks, is highly impressive. Hats off to Nilsson because I love knowing that things like this even exist.
Being a moose lover who will drive for hours just to have the chance of seeing one, I can’t even imagine coming across this guy.
Just amazing…
It is said that hunters in the area continuously pass on these animals when crossed during hunts in hopes that the genetic trait gets passed on and more start to pop up, however, there have been occasional hunter that will take an albino or piebald buck.
It’s always a point of contention…
That being said, thank you to Hans for searching for three years to get some footage of this beauty.
This moose from Sweden has a rare condition named piebaldism which gives him a white coat.
Nature is amazing. Protect it. #ActOnClimate#ClimateAction #climate #Nature #Rewilding pic.twitter.com/QQSto899T6
— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) July 1, 2022
Montana Man Goes To Check His Mail, Gets Charged By A Moose
Moose are one the most amazing creatures to roam the lands. The largest around North America, and by far, one of the coolest to see.
They are however, one of the most dangerous. Known to get very defensive over their young, in the rut, and in general due to their poor eye sight and size, they’ll think nothing of running your ass clean over.
And this Bozeman, Montana, man certainly found that out first hand.
He heads outside and you notice a moose across the road standing up. It almost seems as though he knows its there and that he’s going to check it out. But… he doesn’t. Completely oblivious, he starts to turn his back to it without ever seeing it, and as it takes the first few steps towards him, he looks up and clearly is completely surprised at what is standing in front of him.
“Went to check the mail and I did not realize a moose was staring me down from across the street. It began to charge me and my dog Reecey barked and let me know we were in danger.
She lunged at the moose then circled back and we both high-tailed it inside.
No harm, no foul…
But let’s skip on the morning coffee and go for the ol’ morning moose charge… I feel like that would wake you up a bit better. If this wasn’t feeling awake, he definitely was after that.
