Rare albino squirrel spotted in St Leonards

By Richard Gladstone
Published 10th Dec 2021, 15:09 BST
The squirrel spotted by Kieran Pons. Picture by Kieran Pons SUS-211012-150513001The squirrel spotted by Kieran Pons. Picture by Kieran Pons SUS-211012-150513001
The squirrel spotted by Kieran Pons. Picture by Kieran Pons SUS-211012-150513001
A rare albino squirrel was spotted in St Leonards this morning (Friday, December 10).

Kieran Pons said he saw it at the foot of the tower block in Stonehouse Drive. in the parking area before it made off to the wooded bank area to the right.

The odds of seeing an albino squirrel are said to be one in 100,000.

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After seeing one of Kieran’s pictures sent to the Observer, Charlotte Owen, WildCall pfficer at Sussex Wildlife Trust, said: “There are two kinds of white squirrel - true albinos have pink eyes due to a complete lack of pigment, but you may also see a white (or partially-white) squirrel with dark eyes due to a partial loss of pigment, caused by a similar genetic mutation known as leucism.