“My almost 19 year-old-son named him Dragon because he knew he would need to be tough to survive.”

Dragon is a ‘piebald’ deer meaning there are parts of his body with no pigmentation. In Dragon’s case, he has a white face and underbody.

It’s just that beautiful face though that was the cause of rejection from his mother.

“Being a piebald causes many different health risks and a whitetail deer will instinctually reject any babies that do not have a good chance of survival”

“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. She had a brown fawn at the same time and is raising him fine.”

Despite his weak immune system, Dragon seems to be “thriving,” said Powell.

Only around 1% of deer are born this way, with a white piebald face, which makes him very rare. Even less survive in the wild after the mother rejects them.

Dragon himself was very lucky to have been born at Deer Tracks Junction, so he could be adopted by humans that can raise him.

Unfortunately, just before Dragons first birthday, he passed away due to health complications. Hilary Powell wrote on Facebook:

“Well, sadly, this is an update that I never wanted to have to make. Despite all medical intervention available, we lost our little Dragon. It has been a tough time here, and he will be greatly missed by all.