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Canon City says white deer is town’s mascot, plans to name animal

Posted at 10:35 PM, Mar 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-08 00:35:17-05

CANON CITY – It’s become an attraction in Canon City –  trying to spot a white deer that hangs out on the city’s east side.

The furry friend has received so much attention that the town is now asking for your help to officially name it.

Dolly Gonzales, city council member at-large for Canon City Council, said it was sometime last spring when this little critter was first spotted in town. Since then, a lot of people have taken an interest in him. So Gonzales came up with the idea of making him a mascot for the community.

Amanda Cochran, Canon City resident and city council member, said, “He just kind of hangs out in the neighborhood and it’s kind of exciting. Everybody slows down to take pictures.”

The deer, which Colorado Parks & Wildlife says is not albino, rather what’s called leucistic (a partial loss of pigmentation), is a frequent visitor at Cochran’s house and other areas.

Cochran said, “The fact that he’s made Canon his home and likes to be here, and kind of hangs out in the neighborhoods is very exciting.”

He’s not just getting attention from locals.

Cochran said, “A lot of people will travel down here in hopes of seeing him.”

This little guy has caused such a stir for people that Gonzales thought it would be fun to name him. So last weekend the city took to social media posing the question: What should the town call its new friend?

Gonzales said, “We’ve had more than 60 submissions of names so it’s going to be kind of tough narrowing them down.”

Some of the names suggested: Tilde, Blanco, Blanca, John Doe, and Elsa.

Resident Dean Giem said, “There’s one that’s been going around quite a bit that’s Olaf which I think would be a good fit.”

The list goes on. Whatever you name you submit, Gonzales said, the more unique the better.

She said details of exactly how the name will be picked are still being discussed, but some sort of vote will take place.

If you’d like to submit your idea for a name you have until Friday to do so. You can either visit Canon City’s government Facebook page or it’s Instagram. You can also call the city office.