Doe, Raymond and Me

One day, over two years ago, a strange creature appeared in our back yard. A little white deer peeked her head around a tree, like a shy preschooler searching for a playmate. Our first meeting was tempered with a gentle approach and soft words, but as there was no trust she disappeared abruptly like a specter, leaving us wondering if what we saw was just an apparition. Over the next months, other neighbors reported sightings of the White Deer, describing their encounters with the en”deer”ing creature and soon our little town of Raymond, Wisconsin had a pet and mascot.

She is not albino, as her eyes are soft brown and has brown tints to her coat. Unfortunately, the theory is she was too different to be accepted by her herd and was most likely exiled. Alone and on her own, this sentence did not stop our girl from finding companionship. At first, hesitant and shy, she began visiting neighbors within a two-mile radius, building relationships, trust, and friendship. Now she has become a welcomed guest who is fussed over and woefully worried about when she has not been sighted for a while. She is beloved, valued and is protected and cherished by her adopted human herd.

As angelic a creature she is, she is also kind of gross. She eats rather sloppily, spewing slimly saliva as she chomps her fare. When she swallows, you can see the wad of food pulsate down her esophagus. It looks like a snake digesting it's prey. I made the mistake of petting her, and ended up catching some kind of intestinal intruder that landed me in the Emergency Room greedily sucking up a couple bags of IV fluids through my thirsty vein. From that experience, I keep my distance and admire from afar.

The White Deer is intelligent and has good survival instincts. As tame as she is, she is still wild, and knows when to protect herself. At any sign of a threat, she is off doing her prancing two step into the woods. During a storm, she protects herself under the awning of the roof, staying cozy and dry. She has increased her territorial radius to 8 square miles and as she travels, reported sightings go onto the internet. She has even made local news several times. She likes to attend special events. On a recent family birthday, which was held outside, under a tent, she came sauntering in just to be nosy and see what all the fuss was. The little party crasher was welcomed with open arms (from a distance of course.) and was the hit of the fiesta.

She stops by our place about every two weeks and we find her in our garage, or yard, munching on leaves and grass or on the crop de jour in the farmers field. She will stay for a spell, as we catch up on the woodland news, and then she swiftly leaves moving to her next social engagement. Our town of Raymond has fallen in love with the divine doe, telling tales of interactions, all boasting that she loves them the best. She is a beacon of innocence and unification as we rally around to protect her. She provides a commonality amidst the community and elevates all of us with her uniqueness and her familiarity. From all of those who come in contact with her there emerges an admiration and empathy for this creature who has overcome unseen obstacles. She makes us better. The White Deer teaches us that she may not be our kind and we may not be her kind, but we can learn to care for one another no matter what our kind, but most importantly, we can always try to be kind.