Albino Deer

[Smart Red]

Right, @canesisters, it has more white meat.
This deer was not on a forest preserve I presume? Therefore, it was fair game for hunters. Traits for albinism are not survival improvements outside of the frozen tundra. A novelty, yes, but a protected animal by virtue of its coloring? No.

 

[baymule]

I hear albino deer taste better - pass the gravy.

Tastes like chicken??

 

[Jared77]

As a hunter I don't know if I would have shot it. We eat a lot of venison and I'm not a trophy hunter. I've never had anything taken to the taxidermist.

If it was by itself yeah maybe but I don't adorn my walls with anything I've ever shot, caught, etc. I'm just not that kind of hunter so something like that to me is more of a burden than anything else. I don't hold it against the person who shot it either. Legal deer = shoot it

I'm really glad to hear it will be on display and it's an amazing trophy but not something I'd want to walk in on me and make me decide.

 

[canesisters]

Would've made a pretty wreath........
Or door bell.....

(can ya tell that I don't like deer???)

 

[Nyboy]

LOL Cane I am with you about liking deer!!!!

 

[Nyboy]

I found a albino frog in my yard, first thought was to capture it. Second thought was I know nothing on frog care, it's wild and belongs in wild. When I looked up albino frogs they are not that rare.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

A man who got rich off selling meat lived across from my sister. He had a whole heard of albino deer that you could see from the rode. When he died the herd disappeared, not sure what his family did with them. But there is a high number of piebald in the area.

Maybe sent them upstate. I suggest only because back when I was at Cornell about twice a year there were trips up to the Ag station at Geneva. At one point we would drive alongside a fenced off area (I think it was a military base) and there were usually SEVERAL albino deer on the other side. I was told they had a massive herd of them there protected from hunters (due to the base being off limits to the public)

Traits for albinism are not survival improvements outside of the frozen tundra. A novelty, yes, but a protected animal by virtue of its coloring? No.

Actually it isn't a survival trait even there. The white fur may blend in and give them an advantage, but true albinos also have pigment free eyes (which is why they are pink) and those are LOUSY for dealing with damage from the sun (which is why a lot of albino people need to wear dark glasses).And there are few areas more likely to reflect damaging sun into your eyes than one covered with white snow.

In fact, domestic animals with white patches around there eyes often need a bit of cosmetic surgery to keep from going blind. From what I have heard, a popular treatment is to sedate the animal and then tattoo a black line under the eyelid, which keeps the glare out (sort of like the black stuff football players smear under their eyes.

Albino is also bad for protecting from UV on the skin. Naturally white animals have ways of dealing with all of the snow glare Remember, under all that white fur, a polar bear's skin is black, and I think the artic foxes, weasels (ermines) ptarmigans etc. also have colored skins (plus most of them are only white during the winter) Albino's don't. True albinos crap out in the survival game no matter WHERE they live.

 

[Nyboy]

 

[catjac1975]

That is so beautiful. That is why it should not have been taken. I have no problem with hunting but such a beauty should have been spared.

 

[baymule]

@Pulsegleaner you are correct about the sun being hard on pink skin and eyes. I have a cremello Quarter Horse gelding, he's snow white, pink skin and has blue eyes. He is at least smart enough to get in the barn or under the trees in the heat of the day. He has no pigment coloring, other than his blue eyes. That's him in my avatar, with my neighbor's elderly father (now deceased) having the time of his life.