Watch: Mysterious Purple Deer That Nobody Can Explain Filmed by Wildlife Photographer
You never know what you might spot in nature — a rare bird, a baby animal, or perhaps a purple deer?
Yep, you read that right, and you can even check it out for yourself below:
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The deer was first spotted in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and has perplexed wildlife experts, according to WPFO.
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(Nature photographers have withheld the exact location of the deer so as to avoid drawing large crowds.)
The deer has large masses on its chest and jaw that appear to be turning purple, with the rest of its body sporting a normal hue.
A deer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Nathan Bieber, doesn’t know what is going on with the animal.
“We’ve seen somewhat similar conditions, but cases like this are rarely identical to others, and there are a lot of possibilities,” he said. “[It’s] impossible to know for sure without sending samples to a lab.”
The Maine Warden Service added the deer could be suffering from fibroma, which is caused by an infection.
The outlet noted “deer with fibromas can live a normal and productive life, but severe cases should be reported to the state.”
Bangor Daily News reported Tony Gedaro spotted the unusual deer while driving through Maine and posted it to Facebook.
It has since led to internet sleuths playing Nancy Drew in the mystery of the purple deer.
“Could it be a birthmark? Like a port wine birthmark? The deer doesn’t look like it is suffering,” one Facebook user wrote.
Another added, “Sedate the poor thing and get him to a rehabilitation location to find out what’s wrong. They may be able to save him.”
Many shared the sentiment, with one noting, “It would be nice to know if it got into something toxic that people don’t know about or if this is a contagious illness that could largely impact deer and other ruminants.”
While no answers have currently been found, people continue to spot the purple deer, according to Bangor News.
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