- The albino squirrel was rumoured to have been roaming Ystrad Mynach for weeks.
- Maria Smith took a photo of the rodent when she saw it outside the library.
Residents of Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly, South Wales, were in for a surprise after spotting a rare white squirrel roaming the streets.
The white squirrel, one in 100,000, was unfazed when it was spotted nibbling on crumbs on a busy city centre street.
The albino squirrel was rumoured to have been roaming the streets of Ystrad Mynach for several weeks, with locals sharing stories of sightings.
But Maria Smith was able to snap a photo of the elusive rodent when she spotted it outside the city library over the weekend.
“Finally,” she captioned the image as she shared it on social media, while other locals described the creature as “beautiful.”
Residents of Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly, South Wales, were in for a surprise after spotting a rare white squirrel roaming the streets.
Kevin Hart said he has seen the animal “once or twice a week.”
He said: ‘I’ve lived here for two years and I saw it as soon as I moved in.
‘He sometimes runs on the roof of the old Con club which is at the end of the road between Portofino and the main bus stop at Ystrad Mynach.’
One social media user said: “Wow, that’s amazing.”
Another added: “It’s beautiful, I hope I can check it out one day.”
“What a cute squirrel. I hope he stays safe,” said another concerned resident.
The albino squirrel was rumoured to have been roaming the streets of Ystrad Mynach for weeks at a time, with locals sharing stories of sightings.
The red-eyed squirrel is believed to be albino, a condition caused by a genetic mutation that results in a complete lack of pigment.
Wildlife experts say one in every 100,000 squirrels are albino, but there are estimated to be only about 50 in the UK.
They are thought to live in public places such as parks, playgrounds and cemeteries, where predators tend to be scarce.
Despite being a rare sighting, another albino squirrel was spotted in Bookham, Surrey, earlier this year.
The red-eyed squirrel is believed to be albino, a condition caused by a genetic mutation that leads to a complete lack of pigment.
Ross Hill, 31, who spotted it, said it was “amazing” to see the rare white squirrel up close.
“I had never heard of them a couple of weeks ago and now I’ve seen them in person – it’s amazing,” he added.
Some spotted white squirrels also have black eyes and are thought to suffer from leucism, rather than albinism.
Leucism also causes a complete lack of pigment, but not in the eyes.
Experts say 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.
