Narwhal the unicorn puppy became famous for having a second tail growing out of his forehead but now the animal shelter looking after him has warned his pictures are being used by scammers.
The little golden pup started doing the rounds on social media after Missouri-based rescue organisation Mac’s Mission found him wandering outside in the freezing cold.
Narwhal has become very recognisable as his second tail, which unfortunately doesn’t wag, caught the attention of thousands of people around the world but now some cruel scammers have decided to use his image to trick innocent dog-lovers into giving them money.
Check out Narwhal in action here:
Rochelle Steffen, the founder of Mac’s Mission, told TMZ ever since the unicorn puppy went viral staff at the shelter have noticed lots of fake accounts popping up on social media.
The accounts are being run by scammers who are asking people for donations towards the ‘shelter’ and Narwhal’s medical bills. Steffen has already been made aware of several scams, which she’s reported to Instagram and Facebook, but the founder is encouraging people to be wary when it comes to donating money.
To help people make sure their cash is going to the right place, Mac’s Mission has set up an official donation link on its Facebook page, which you can find here.
People have already been kind enough to donate to the shelter, with $4,000 having been sent directly through PayPal and an additional $1,950 sent through the Facebook link, so the cost of Narwhal’s medical bills has mostly been taken care of.
Therefore, any money donated from now on will go towards other current or future rescues as the shelter has emphasised it’s not looking to profit off its little unicorn puppy.
In a post on Facebook, Mac’s Mission explained:
We have seen a few shifty groups and people trying to raise money off [Narwhal] and they are not us. We ask ONLY through this page or our only single instagram page, macthepitbull.
We have had many requests to tell folks how they can help and since we rely 100% on donations and our medical bills are usually outrageous monetary donations are the best way to help.
Though Narwhal is up for adoption, Mac’s Mission is keeping him until staff can find a trustworthy owner as the shelter is concerned some people may have the wrong motivation when it comes to trying to get their hands on the pup.
One keen person offered $7,000 for Narwhal but the shelter turned it down. Steffen pointed out the dog is not for sale, he’s just up for adoption, for which the application costs $150.
If you’re looking to donate to Mac’s Mission be sure to do so through the official link, and bear in mind 100% of donations are going to medical care for Narwhal and the other rescues in desperate need of assistance.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.