As humans, we know that being different is special – it makes you unique from your peers, and your differences are something to be proud of.
But in the case of animals, being different from the rest can sometimes make you an outcast.
When Dragon, a white-faced fawn, was born, his mom knew that something wasn’t right.
Animals aren’t as clever as us. Perhaps Dragon’s mom saw his differences and interpreted them to mean that he’d be weak, that he had a deformity, and that he wouldn’t survive.
For whatever reason, she rejected her fawn, and focused on her other babies. Poor Dragon was left to fend for himself in the wild.
Dragon’s uniqueness has a name – it’s known as “piebald”.
According to Hilary Powell of Deer Tracks Junction in Cedar Springs, Missouri, when an animal is piebald, it has patches on its body with no pigmentation.
In Dragon’s case, his pigmentation is obvious – his entire face is white. It gives him a strikingly beautiful appearance, but it obviously didn’t sit right with his mom.
There may be a reason behind Dragon’s mom’s rejection, as Hilary explains:
“The white makes him stand out so he can’t hide from predators, and he can’t hear or see as well as a regular deer, so he can’t hear or see predators coming.”
Thankfully, Dragon was rescued from the wild, so he now has a second chance at life.
Apparently, around 1 percent of the entire deer population is born with a white face, so Dragon truly is a rare gem.
While the little fighter is “thriving” for now, that’s not to say that he might not face complications down the line.
That’s why Hilary’s son named the fawn “Dragon” – because he’d need the strength to survive.
While Dragon’s striking appearance saw him rejected by his mom, he quickly gathered his own human fans.
So much so that the fawn appeared on Wood TV8, where he casually drank from a bottle of milk while Kelly Powell, another member of Deer Tracks Junction, updated the presenter about Dragon’s health.
All things considered, Dragon looks totally unbothered by his newfound fame!
The attention is probably normal to him – he’s had it all his life! When Kelly was asked what was next for the fawn, he replied:
“Well, we monitor him very closely. As you can see, all of our animals are very special there at the ranch, but Dragon has been getting a bit of extra attention due to all the fame that he’s received.”
“He gets fed four times a day right now. He’s growing well. We’ve got a little way to get him out of the woods here yet. We’ve got to stay close attention to him.”
If you happen to live in the Cedar Springs area, you can visit Dragon in person at Deer Tracks Junction.
The family farm hosts more than just deer, too – there are horses, sheep, pigs, alpacas, donkeys, bunnies, goats, camels, and even bears. There’s also an ice cream shop, if you happen to be visiting on a nice day.
Deer Tracks Junction is currently closed due to Covid, but fingers crossed normality will return later this year.
In the meantime, you can keep up with the farm on Instagram, and watch the video below to see more of Dragon.
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