Rare and Beautiful Albino Deer Appearing in Ohio Are Hiding a Dark Secret

The rare albino deer that have recently appeared in an Ohio park may look beautiful, but they could be hiding a dark secret.
The Board of Park Commissioners at the Mill Creek MetroPark has recorded three albino white-tailed deer living in the park near Youngstown. Albinism is a rare genetic mutation that affects the amount of melanin—which controls skin pigmentation—in the body. Albino animals are very pale, have white fur and usually pink eyes.
The appearance of albino animals can be striking and beautiful. But the presence of these three albino animals in Mill Creek MetroPark may be an indication of poor population health within the herd.
The albino individuals are an indication that the population may be inbreeding. Although there are still only three known albino deer living in the population, it is incredibly rare for there to be several in one population.

Rare and Beautiful Albino Deer Appearing in Ohio Are Hiding a Dark Secret