Mallow, a new resident at Tennessee-based wildlife rehabilitation facility For Fox Sake, has a highly unusual appearance. Between his small body, his fluffy white fur and his pink eyes, when most people encounter him for the first time, they have no idea what kind of animal he is.
“A lot of times, he’s been mistaken for an opossum or a mink or a ferret,” Juniper Russo, executive director of For Fox Sake, told The Dodo. “A couple of times people mistook him for being a cat or dog.”
But Mallow isn’t any of those animals — he’s actually an albino raccoon. When he was just a few weeks old, he was abandoned by his mother because of his albinism and because he has low muscle tone which makes it hard for him to walk. Thankfully, though, Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue saved him.
Mallow’s albinism is the result of a rare genetic mutation. In addition to his albinism, he’s also deaf and partially blind. For raccoons and several other species, pigment protects the ears during embryonic development, so for an albino raccoon like Mallow, their ears might not develop fully.
Given his condition, Out of the Woods Wildlife Rescue determined that it wouldn’t be safe for him to be released back into the wild. So For Fox Sake agreed to take him in and provide Mallow a safe, permanent home.
Mallow adjusted quickly to his new life at For Fox Sake. In the two months since he arrived, he’s been thriving.
Russo has gone out of their way to make sure that even though Mallow lives with human caretakers, he still gets plenty of time outside. Whenever he’s out and about in public, people tend to get very confused.
“I took him to the park to have some outdoor enrichment time, and this lady came up to us and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I just love your animal.’ I could tell she wanted to say, ‘I love your possum or your dog,’ but she kind of paused and decided to just say animal,” Russo said.
Russo has noticed that Mallow likes all the attention he gets from curious admirers.
“He’s a bit of a ham,” Russo said. “I think he knows he’s cute.”
That being said, wild raccoons should not typically be handled by humans. Mallow’s circumstances are unique, and even then, the wildlife experts who care for him understand that he’s not a pet.
Thanks to For Fox Sake, Mallow lives a comfortable, happy life. And, when people see his adorable face, they can’t help but want to learn more about him.
