Albino Elk Calf?

I am not sure if any of you folks have actually seen an albino elk anywhere, but we have. I was able to capture some images this past summer of an elk calf through the trees. It was hard to get close to, and I did not want to scare it off or make it panic, so I kept my distance.

It seems to be not all white, but I have shown the photos to people who have lived here all their lives and they have never seen anything at all like this coloration. Huge white patches on the main body would leave a person to wonder what was going on.

I have seen other albino elk calves on the net and some have more white area than this little guy, but his coloration seems to be not the normal darker color. If you compare this calf with others nearby, you will see that they are much darker in color. The head and neck are what are closer to normal, but the rest is way to light to be considered normal at all.

The field where these elk eat and play is a regular spot for viewing them. We drive up the road and stand by the fence to watch them as they pass through the daily ritual of grazing on local fields on their way to the Clark Fork river to get a drink. They also use some of the local creeks that feed into the Clark Fork to grab a drink. The game trails are well established in my area, you can see the large furrows where they walk daily.

So, what do you think? Is it a true albino elk calf or just a variation of what would be considered a normal coloring? I will leave it up to you to judge for yourself. I kept this a secret except for locally for several months so somebody would not try and come and hunt this calf down and poach it just for the novelty. It should be well grown by now and better able to care for itself. I think you will agree that was a good thing to do.