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Resident, community mourn loss of white deer

YOUNGSTOWN — Last week, tragedy struck for the community as news of a white, white-tailed deer died.

Affectionately known as Bella, she was nearly 2 years old.

She left a legacy, bringing people together.

Robert Coggeshall, of Youngstown, spent some time nearly every day with Bella, whom he described as gentle.

“I’d sit down and talk to her, and she’d walk around while I took pictures of her,” Coggeshall said. He estimated he’s taken 75,000 photos of Bella in her short life.

A former naturalist for Mill Creek MetroParks, near where he lives and where Bella lived, Coggeshall said he’s been around animals most of his life.

Bella was found to have crossed Bears Den Road, which she rarely did, staying at a residence for several days prior to her death.

“Primarily, she would stay in park territory,” Coggeshall said, adding that deer usually stay in the same vicinity.

Luckily, a friend of his knows the homeowners where she stayed, alone, he said.

The homeowners noticed she was having trouble birthing a stillborn fawn, which ultimately caused an infection.

She collapsed on the side of the road, prompting Coggeshall’s friend to call park authorities. Then, wildlife experts from Akron were called, and the decision to take Bella to Trumbull County was made.

Unfortunately, she died a short time after receiving care, Coggeshall said.

Bella was born May 28, 2019, as part of a set of triplets. Two were white, and one was brown.

From the beginning, Coggeshall photographed the family. After about two weeks, Bella’s siblings weren’t around, which Coggeshall said could have been due to coyotes preying on them in the park where Bella and her family lived.

As Coggeshall snapped photos of Bella from an early age, she and her mother became used to him, he said. Oftentimes, she “ran circles” around him.

Bella wasn’t albino, Coggeshall said, noting albinoism is a recessive gene. In deer, their hooves are white and they’ll have red eyes.

Bella had normal-colored hooves and bluish eyes, Coggeshall said.

Through his research, Coggeshall said an estimate of a white, white-tailed deer is about 1 in 1,000.

Bella brought people together, Coggeshall said.

For instance, one time people in a truck saw her near the park, and they jumped out with the intent to hunt her. As soon as neighbors realized what was happening, they chased the hunters away, Coggeshall said.

Bella also had a following on social media, with people excitedly sharing her whereabouts.

“She was so special,” Coggeshall said.

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