Unusual Pet Project: An Emu, A White Peacock, miniature Zemu, Deer, Pasture Horses and more

Another jackpot. I drove up 83 North en route to a farm just over the Pennsylvania border. When I turned from a winding road onto a long rocky driveway through a cluster of woods, I bounced in my little Golf and wondered where exactly I was going and whether driving so far out was a good use of my time. Then the woods cleared and the path smoothed to a dirt road. Before me lay an expansive, family farm bustling with life. First a german shepherd ran to my car and almost jumped inside he was so eager to see who had pulled in. Then a little bright blue eyed boy with rosy cheeks, followed by his mom (Kelsey) and then her mom, Vicki, the farm owner. The things I saw in the next two hours would astound anyone, much less a photographer with an extreme interest in and passion for the lives of animals. What you'll glimpse here is a shocking run-in with the jurassic period (an emu), the surprise of finding a ginormous dino egg (a blue speckled emu egg!) along the chain link fence; that emu playing with his best friend, a white-tailed hand-fed deer, Vicki feeding that deer a marshmallow by mouth, a miniature Zemu who loves chocolate chip cookies, cows, spotted pasture-only horses (not for riding) and a fabulous display of white plumage from a rare white peacock. And that's not even all. So while this family does not live in Baltimore I'm making this my one exception. Oh but I'll need to go north for one more animal - Kelsey's albino donkey.

"White peafowl have a genetic mutation called leucism. This causes the inability of pigment to be deposited into their feathers which results in a white appearance."