Rare Rescued Animal Has People Confused About What It Really Is

A new resident named Mallow at For Fox Sake, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has a highly unusual appearance. Mallow has a small body, fluffy white fur, and pink eyes. Most people have no idea what kind of animal it is when they encounter Mallow for the first time. Mallow has been mistaken for several animals, including an opossum, a mink, or a ferret. People also mistook Mallow for being a dog or cat a couple of times. However, Mallow isn’t any of those animals. It's actually an albino raccoon abandoned by its mother because of its albinism and low muscle tone. Mallow's low muscle tone makes it hard for him to walk but thankfully he was saved by Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue.

Mallow’s rare appearance is the result of his albinism, which affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colors skin, hair, and eyes. It is a rare genetic condition that is sometimes accompanied by visual impairment. The condition of course causes Mallow to be deaf and partially blind. Raccoons are easily recognizable, with the black mask of fur surrounding their eyes. However, Mallow's albinism likely caused him not to have the black mask. Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue determined that it wouldn’t be safe for Mallow to be released back into the wild, given his condition, so For Fox Sake agreed to take him in and provide him with a safe, permanent home. Mallow swiftly adjusted to his new life at For Fox Sake and is been thriving in the two months since he arrived.

Juniper Russo, executive director of For Fox Sake, has gone out of their way to make sure that even though Mallow lives with human caretakers, he still gets plenty of time outside. However, people tend to get very confused whenever Mallow is out and about in public.

"I took him to the park to have some outdoor enrichment time, Russo told The Dodo, adding that a lady came up to them and said, "Oh my gosh, I just love your animal." Russo said he could tell the lady wanted to say, "I love your possum or your dog." However, the lady kind of paused and decided to just say animal, according to Russo, who has noticed that Mallow likes all the attention he gets from curious admirers. 

"He’s a bit of a ham," Russo told The Dodo, adding, "I think he knows he’s cute." That said, wild raccoons are dangerous and should not usually be handled by humans. However, Mallow’s circumstances are unique. Nevertheless, the wildlife experts who care for him understand that he is not a pet. Thanks to For Fox Sake, Mallow, the albino raccoon lives a comfortable, happy life and people can’t help but want to learn more about him when they see his cute face.

"We’re so thankful for the opportunity to give [Mallow] a happy life in captivity and to be able to share his story to educate the public about raccoons," For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue wrote on Facebook.

According to Chron, the odds of a raccoon having albinism is 1 in 20,000. In the wild, the odds of seeing an albino raccoon could be 1 in 750,000. In August this year, an albino raccoon, which could easily be mistaken for a cat, was found in College Station, Texas.

⚡️You have better odds of being struck by lightning than seeing an Albino raccoon but here’s one found in a College Station dumpster being a car dealership. (Not sharing the location since it’s on private property). Photos by: Rodolfo Garza pic.twitter.com/EjJvCLmPcG

— 🚨 Rusty Surette (@KBTXRusty) August 13, 2024