Two ultra-rare albino deer spotted in Iowa

By Michael Lee Simpson

While driving through rural Iowa at dusk, Kurt Massimilla and his family experienced a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter - spotting not one, but two rare albino deer.

The Peosta resident says the incident was an extreme rarity — with some estimates placing the odds of seeing two together at 1 in 400 million, he says.

The sighting occurred on March 29 as they were heading home from a birthday dinner for Massimilla’s 13-year-old son.

It’s illegal to hunt albino deer in Iowa - and a pair were previously spotted elsewhere in the state in 2020 and 2023.

“We were driving home just at dusk on this back road and all of a sudden, my wife was like, ‘Oh my God, an albino deer!’ Just the tone in her voice — she was like a giddy teenager," Massimilla, 56, a nurse, said.

“I actually saw it, and I thought it was like a white llama or something like that.

“So I put on the brakes and backed up, and yeah, there were two of them out in the field just hanging out.”

Albino deer are incredibly rare, he says.

The genetic mutation that causes albinism in deer results in a lack of pigmentation, making them stand out starkly against their surroundings.

Massimilla, who recently moved to Iowa from Arizona, has a deep appreciation for wildlife.

"We’re big wildlife enthusiasts, so it was just kind of neat to see because we love seeing animals that you typically don’t see on the beaten trail," he said.