Piebald deer spotted in North Carolina backyard, photos show. Just how rare are they?
A rare critter was spotted in a North Carolina backyard, giving a “lucky” treat to one photographer.
The deer peeking around a tree trunk had fur marked with white blotches, according to a picture Facebook user Gary Frazier posted last week on the Downtown Cary page.
Frazier’s camera caught photos of a piebald deer, one that has mixed hair coloration, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
So how unique are they?
The piebald “trait may show up in one in 1,000 deer,” the commission says.
The condition is inherited genetically and is often paired with other characteristics, such as organ and leg deformities, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
The trait is more common than albinism, a lack of pigmentation that “may only be observed in one in 30,000 deer,” the wildlife commission says.
Over the years, people have seen albino deer in the Raleigh suburb of Holly Springs and nearby areas, The News & Observer reported in July.
The piebald deer sighting was in Cary, a town just west of Raleigh.
The animal has been hanging out around a residential area and a nearby greenway trail for three to four years, Frazier wrote in a message to McClatchy News.
“There is usually the piebald deer and 3-5 other deer with it,” Frazier said Friday. “This summer it came through the backyard and had a fawn with it. The fawn was like all other deer.”
Photos of the rare creature were posted in the Downtown Cary Facebook group, prompting some social media users to share similar sightings near Evans Road.
“She stood in the middle of the road and waited until a baby ran across the road then she took off,” one person wrote. “No one believed me!”
Other Facebook users said Frazier was “lucky” or “fortunate” for getting a glimpse of the unique animal.
Also, piebald deer apparently have been spotted outside the Triangle area.
North Carolina’s Candid Critters on Sunday posted a photo of a buck from Pender County, in the southeastern part of the state. The picture in the Facebook post was dated October 2018.
This story was originally published January 6, 2020 at 11:13 AM.
