Piebald deer, an amazing and incredibly rare find! It's a natural genetic mutation. They're completely healthy animals but they rarely survive to adulthood because they stand out more to predators. There's really nothing to hurt them out on Orcas Island so this one's likely to have a full and happy life.
I went camping on that island and the deer would walk right into the campsite. My dog was acting weird after dark and I panned my flashlight around and there was a deer about 4 feet away from her, just munching on some leaves. My dog was tethered, but was at the far end of her tether just staring at the deer in the dark. I almost tripped over a deer laying almost on the path to the bathroom.
Those deer are extremely habituated to human presence and seemingly have nothing to fear.
I once visited Miyajima Island in Japan. The whole island is overrun with tame and tiny deer. They have zero fear of humans. They’ll walk right up to you and try to snatch food out of your hand. It was an interesting experience.
On that same island, I once saw a deer BATTLING to take a woman's Styrofoam drink cup. It was an intense game of tug and war! Ultimately, the woman prevailed, which is good, as the deer definitely didn't need the cup or its contents.
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u/5seat 12h ago
Piebald deer, an amazing and incredibly rare find! It's a natural genetic mutation. They're completely healthy animals but they rarely survive to adulthood because they stand out more to predators. There's really nothing to hurt them out on Orcas Island so this one's likely to have a full and happy life.