Report from George Markie.
You Wait Years For An Albino Squirrel Then Two Come Along At Once
By Cath Bennett in the Daily Record 17 th January 2004
ALBINO squirrels have one thing in common with buses you wait forever for one and then two come along at once. Yesterday's Record told how one of the rare creatures had been spotted in Scotland.
Only one in 100,000 squirrels are born white and most do not live long as they are an easy target for predators.
But now a second albino has been spotted in the same town, Livingston, in West Lothian.
Matt Dilligham, 34, has been feeding the creature, who he has named Snowy, since it appeared at his office in October.
He said: ''We were really surprised when we first saw this bright white squirrel. He was just born when I first sawhimbut he has piled on a few pounds.''
Of the six squirrels who daily visit Matt's office for treats, Snowy is the only one who can scale the bird table to steal bird food.
Matt said: ''Sometimes he is very bossy around the other squirrels, making sure he gets a big share of the food.''
Dr Jon Barnes, a specialist in evolutionary biology at Glasgow University, said albino animals were caused by gene mutation.
He said: ''If that occurs in one place, then it may become common in the population.''
Wildlife experts encourage people to feed albino animals as they often struggle to survive.
© Daily Record, 17 th January 2004
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