- The albino squirrel had been rumoured to be roaming Ystrad Mynach for weeks
- Maria Smith snagged a photo of the rodent when she spotted it outside library
Residents of Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly, South Wales, were in for a shock after spotting a rare white squirrel roaming the streets.
The one-in-100,000 white squirrel was unfazed when it was spotted nibbling on crumbs on a busy town centre street.
The albino squirrel had been rumoured to be roaming the streets in Ystrad Mynach for several weeks with neighbours sharing stories of sightings.
But Maria Smith was able to snag a photograph of the elusive rodent when she spotted it outside the town library at the weekend.
She captioned the pictured ‘finally’ as she shared it on social media – with other locals describing the creature as ‘beautiful’.
Residents of Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly, South Wales, were in for a shock after spotting a rare white squirrel roaming the streets
Kevin Hart said he has spotted the animal ‘once or twice a week’.
He said: ‘I’ve lived here two years and saw him as soon as I moved in.
‘He sometimes runs across the roof of the old Con club that’s at the bottom of the lane between Portofino and Ystrad Mynach main bus stop.’
One social media user said: ‘Wow that is awesome.’
Another added: ‘Beautiful, I hope I manage to catch a glimpse one day.’
‘What a beautiful squirrel, I do hope he stays safe,’ said another concerned resident.
The albino squirrel had been rumoured to be roaming the streets in Ystrad Mynach for several weeks with neighbours sharing stories of sightings
The red-eyed squirrel is thought to be albino – a condition caused a genetic mutation that leads to a complete lack of pigment.
Wildlife experts say that one in every 100,000 squirrels are albino, but only an estimated 50 are thought to be in the UK.
They are thought to be found living in public places like parks, playgrounds and cemeteries, where predators tend to be low.
Despite being a rare sighting, another albino squirrel was spotted in in Bookham, Surrey earlier this year.
The red-eyed squirrel is thought to be albino – a condition caused a genetic mutation that leads to a complete lack of pigment
Ross Hill, 31, who spotted it, said it was ‘astonishing’ to see the rare white squirrel up close.
‘I’d never even heard of them a couple of weeks ago and now I’ve even seen it in the flesh – it’s amazing,’ he added.
Some spotted white squirrels also have black eyes and are believed to have leucism, instead of albinism.
Leucism also causes a complete lack of pigment – but not in the eyes.
Experts say that leucism is ‘extremely rare’ in red squirrels.
The last known sighting of a white squirrel believed to have black eyes was in Scotland in May 2020.
