'1 out of every 100,000:' See The Rare Female Elk Recently Spotted in Colorado

The female elk, which sports a brown and snow-white coat, "has been catching attention for a bit and for good reason" since it was spotted in Estes Park, a town that serves as the base for Rocky Mountain National Park. The appearance of the fur is the result of a genetic trait that causes a "white coat of hair with some patches of brown," according to the state agency.

NOTE: this article was originally published to USA Today's Apple News channel on Nay 15, 2025. It was written by Amaris Encinas.

A female elk with a unique genetic trait is turning heads in Colorado and beyond.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently shared photographs of a rare elk, a piebald female cow, out in the wild.

The female elk, which sports a brown and snow-white coat, "has been catching attention for a bit and for good reason" since it was spotted in Estes Park, a town that serves as the base for Rocky Mountain National Park.

The appearance of the fur is the result of a genetic trait that causes a "white coat of hair with some patches of brown," according to the state agency.

The genetic anomaly, commonly seen in deer, "causes random patches of skin to lack the specialized pigment cells that give deer hair its color," according to the National Deer Association. Even the skin underneath the white hair lacks color.

"This rare genetic trait occurs in about 1 out of every 100,000 elk," the agency wrote in a May 12 Facebook post. "If you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her, remember to give her lots of space!"

Colorado Parks & Wildlife did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Visitors share photos, videos of the 'rare elk'

After Colorado Parks & Wildlife shared images from the spontaneous photo-op on Facebook, people who follow the page also began share original photos and videos of the piebald female cow and others they've seen in the comments of the post.

"I saw her a couple weeks ago," one person wrote in the comments. "Such an amazing experience!!"

This female elk may likely be one of one, or at least one of a few "piebalds" foraging across Colorado, which boasts the largest elk population in the world. Over 280,000 elk, with and without the genetic trait, have lived in the area since the mid 2020s.

While some were in awe of the creature's beauty, others were cracking jokes about the elk getting into some cocaine, or powdered sugar.

"Did Cafe Du Monde open up a shop up there?" another person wrote in the comments. "Looks like she got too close to someone eating a beignet and startled them. WYKYK."