Published Date:
31 May 2006
RARE albino squirrels appear to be thriving in the Lothians after another sighting by local residents.
Lilian Athanaselis took a picture of one of the vulnerable creatures in her mother's Whinbank garden in West Lothian last weekend.
Sightings are becoming commonplace in Livingston after two albino squirrels began breeding in April. The unusual squirrels rarely survive long enough to mate as their white coats render them vulnerable to predators.
Mrs Athanaselis said: "It came into the garden with a group of grey squirrels. It was really quite friendly, playing with the other squirrels. I think they are adapting to the urban environment."
Dr Andrew Kitchener, a curator at the Royal Museum of Scotland, said he was fascinated by the find. He said: "The reason that you don't get lots of them is that they do get selected against. It may be their albino gene or it may be their colour.
"If anyone really wants to see one we actually have two specimens in the museum that were captured in Dalmeny in 1932."
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Last Updated:
31 May 2006 10:10 AM
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Source:
Edinburgh Evening News
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Location:
Edinburgh
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Related Topics:
Squirrels
