ESTES PARK, Colo. — Estes Park may well be the elk capital of the world. The town believes its population of the iconic Colorado creatures exceeds 3,000 at its peak, making it a prime destination for wildlife photographers and sight-seers.
One elk in particular, though, is drawing the lenses of several photographers in Denver7’s Discover Colorado | Through Your Photos group on Facebook: An ultra-rare piebald elk cow with white fur on her face and chest.
We went digging to learn more about the unique ungulate, catching up with one of the photographers who has snapped some stunning images of her and enlisting the help of Colorado Parks & Wildlife to learn more about piebaldism.
So, what is a piebald elk?
“Piebaldism is a recessive genetic trait that makes wildlife's fur or facial features appear white and splotchy,” said Kara Van Hoose, a public information officer with CPW. “So, it's really easy to pick out, but a little bit harder to decipher exactly what that is.”
And, yes, that’s “recessive” like you heard in grade school biology class, meaning both parents must have the trait to pass it along.
Only one in every 100,000 elk is believed to have piebaldism.
Van Hoose said piebaldism is often confused with albinoism or leucism, both of which can cause white fur but have other aesthetic traits. Albino animals, for instance, may have different colored eyes. Leucistic animals are likely to have an all- or mostly white coat.
“That’s why it's so rare, because a lot of things have to match up in your genes and your ancestors,” she said.
There are thought to be roughly 280,000 elk in Colorado, CPW says. The agency spotted another piebald elk during a wildlife survey near Montrose back in 2023.
The math, then, suggests that it and the one recently located in Estes Park very well may be the only two in the state.
- Hear from Kara Van Hoose, and a photographer who captured amazing images of the piebald elk, in the video player below:
An animal worth searching for
The woman behind Colorado Wild Photography, who operates the business anonymously, told us she saw photos of the piebald elk in Estes Park on social media late last summer. She made it her goal to find the piebald on her annual trip to Estes Park during the elk rut.
On a mid-September day, it happened.
“It was getting dark, leaving Rocky Mountain National Park, and my photographer group and I were in the car, and I'm like, ‘Stop the car,’” she recalled. “And there she was, and she was in the river, and she was beautiful. And of course, we all hopped out and start photographing her.”
The photographer was so captivated, she went back in search of the piebald – who she’s dubbed “Snow White” – in October and December, capturing the white-furred elk against a snowscape in a beautiful set of photos.
Her return trips to Estes in search of Snow White also documented what appears to be changes in the elk’s coat. CPW said those changes are likely seasonal in nature, showing the elk growing its winter fur and perhaps bulking up for the cold season.
Colorado Wild Photography has been snapping wildlife photos for more than a decade, but tells us she wasn’t always into the craft. She remembers a moment at her father’s house in Estes Park that changed everything.
“I had this passion for wildlife in me until one day I was doing dishes in his house,” she said. “I looked up in the kitchen window and there was an elk staring me in my face, and I ran outside with my flip phone and took a picture of it.”
She was given a camera as a gift and bought the book “Nikon For Dummies,” and the rest is history. What is now her passion has taken her all across Colorado, and to spots like Yellowstone where she’s found subjects like wolves and bears.
Still, there’s an allure to the piebald elk in Estes Park.
“It’s a first” the photographer said. “I've never experienced anything like her before, and every moment you spend with her is just magical. You know, she's beautiful.”