Oh deer: Luo Dan dons his head mask (Picture: Rex)

If you could be any animal what would you be and why?

It’s one of life’s most thought-provoking questions which can be used with deadly effectiveness in an interview or, less so, by a drunken mate down the pub (probably time to go home).

But for Chinese painter Luo Dan, 32, there will only ever be one answer to the question having worn a deer head mask every day for the past five years.

He began wearing the unusual disguise in 2009 and quickly got used to putting it on while working or relaxing in his spare time.


Deer on the drums (Picture: Rex)

The painter and designer says that the mask helps him to find creative inspiration and, most importantly, his inner deer.



‘The deer is a tame animal,’ he explained.

‘Wearing its mask, I could find a long-missing inner peace. When I wear the mask, I feel I am a deer from within.’

It’s unclear how long he plans to wear the deer mask, but given the headgear’s remedial powers it’s unlikely he will be giving it up anytime soon.

Last week, a ‘dead’ deer destined for the dinner table will die another day after escaping from the boot of a car during a routine police stop.