FARMINGTON HILLS (WWJ) - A rare albino deer was spotted munching on shrubbery near a parking lot in Farmington Hills on Monday evening, causing quite a stir on social media.
Zoe Ridley captured images and video of the animal that appeared to sport the signature albino features that included an all-white hide and pink around its eyes and nose.
Ridley said she and her boyfriend were driving on 12 Mile Road near Orchard Lake around 9 p.m. when they spotted the rare animal.
"We were kind of in disbelief," she told WWJ's Tony Ortiz. "So we whipped the car back around, and we were in a parking lot at this point, on a side street, an there it was! It was grazing, it was just in its own world, not bothering anyone."
Ridley told Ortiz that the deer appeared calm as it ate, although possibly malnourished, and was alone.
"And we knew it was albino, because when we shined the light...the eyes were red and the nose was pink, and it was incredible!" Ridley said. "...We were just in awe."
Ridley said the deer appeared peaceful, and she's hoping people will just let ir be.
According to the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, albinism is a rare genetic disorder that affects melanin production in plants and animals, affecting the pigment that determines the color of skin, hair, feathers, scales and eyes,
While the unusual-colored deer are rare, they are not off-limits to hunters.
"It is legal to harvest albino, all-white or piebald deer in Michigan," the DNR said.
Up until 2008 albino and all-white deer were protected in the state, but the restriction was lifted for several reasons.
"The protection of albino/all-white deer was lifted for several reasons," the DNR said in a 2014 Facebook post clarifying the hunting protocol. "The rule put hunters in a difficult situation because it was legal to take a piebald deer, but it can be difficult to determine if a deer is all-white, albino or piebald from a distance; there is no biological reason to protect the genetic trait that causes a deer to be all-white or albino (in fact, the trait is certainly a disadvantage for avoiding predators); and the all-white (not truly albino) deer were escaped exotic animals with the potential to spread disease into the wild deer herd, something we would not want to promote by protecting these deer."
Back in September 2022, Michigan’s first-ever reported “Spirit Bear” or bear with white fur, was seen on trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula, although unconfirmed reports believed the bear was killed by wolves.
Genetically, the animal was said by researchers to be a "one-in-a-million" bear.