White Squirrels

At the moment this page which is under development carries copies of reports e mailed to me and a short list of places reported to me by phone calls. I hope to add a map of the area with places where white animals have been sighted marked.

The majority of sightings in this area are concentrated around Farlington, Widley and Drayton but recently new ones have come from Southwick, Southsea Emsworth, Langstone and Waterlooville. I am keen to hear of sightings but especially from new areas. If you can give me times and dates of sightings that can help to assess how many of these animals are around. At present my guess would be less than half a dozen.

The picture on the left is one of the first white squirrels I had seen in Hampshire. It is a neighbours garden in about 1986. The one on the right is in my own garden taken around 2002 and shows that the white ones have all the bad habits of the grays!

Reports

There were two white squirrels in the little park in Ladybridge Road Purbrook today [4.3.2008]. Local dog walkers say there are four resident in the park. [report by Adele Mallows]

I am a student at Lees McRae College in Banner Elk Nc. We actually have a partial albino grey squirrel that we use for educational purposes. You can see this squirrel at http://www.lmc.edu/BRWI/AnimalAmbassadors.htm Her name is Tundra, she came from Brevard Nc where a colony of partial albino grey squirrels have been found..
Hope you enjoy, Elaine beaversee@students.lmc.edu

Sunday 6th January 2008 -One albino Squirrel in Norwood park South London.

Hi John we have a white squirrel which runs between The Thicket in The Thicket Widley, (North Portsmouth bordering the Crookhorn golf course.) and the back gardens of the opposite houses. He has been around since about August 07. Chris Ellis 29th October 2007.
By JG - they continue to be appearing in gardens in Havant Road Cosham.

white squirrel seen by my daughter in marbury park cheshire, on the 25th september 2007

[27th June 2007] OF TIME EATING IN MY YARD. I TOOK SOME PICTURES OF HIM/HER A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, SO FAR I HAVE ONLY SEEN ONE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE PICTURES LET ME KNOW.

GOD BLESS,

AMY

5th June 2007:Dear John, a couple of years age we had three white squirrels in our garden on the Havant road in Farlington at the same time. It appeared that two may well have been young ones. They appear now and then, often for a few consequent days and then disappear again for a while. trish@carr74.fsnet.co.uk

5th June 2007: I just wanted to report a sighting of a white squirrel (didn't see eyes, may have been an albino). I saw today (June , 2007) in Fairfax, VA (near west ox rd and Route 50). I was glad to read that others have been sighted. Just thought I would pass the info along. Take care,

These 3 pictures come to me from Canada and are particularly interesting as there is also a black squirrel there. here's the message

Have attached a few photos - the white squirrel first appeared late this summer, and has stayed nearby, despite the attention our Doberman has been giving it.

Shelly Faye

Hi I was just looking up white squirrels on the net, as I saw one on Sunday in Marbury Park in Cheshire, and came across your website.

I have never seen them before and it was a lovely experience to sit and watch it. Zoe 14th Nov 2006

1. Grey Squirrel: Reports of albino squirrels continue to reach John Goodspeed since they were featured in THE NEWS last week. One from Gatcombe Park in Hilsea (north Portsea Island) could be the same one that was there in July 1999 and one in Southwick village (north west of Portsdown) might be the one that was captured in Cosham in November of 1999 and dumped in the Boarhunt area in the hopes that it would not return to Cosham! Reports also come from Southsea and Waterlooville.

I read your Article on the white squirrel .I live at The Dale, Widley and we quite often see a white squirrel in our garden. If you would like anymore info, photos or video footage let me know. nyck

Dear Mr Goodspeed,

Perhaps sensing that there was going to be an item in the News tonight, our friendly neighbourhood (Mulberry Lane, Cosham) albino squirrel showed up this morning in our garden. We have seen him once or twice before.

Yours sincerely,

John Mainwaring

Hi John

I read with interest the item in tonight's News about White Squirrels by Simon Toft. I read with interest the item in tonight's News about White Squirrels by Simon Toft.

My wife , up until about a week or so , used to go house to house doing Betterware, and we were Surprised to see one of these WHITE SQUIRRELS, in and around GATCOME PARK , here in PORTSMOUTH.

We have seen this fellow two or three times over the past few weeks, well we think that there is ONLY one, but from what I have read, I am beginning to wonder if there could be MORE than one.

This one seems to live or come from the GATCOME PARK itself, as we have seen it coming through the gardens in THE RIDINGS, backing onto the PARK area, so if your interested in looking out for him/her...them, maybe the PARK would be the best area.

I hope this is helpful to your interest in this CUTE animal, even if it is a RODENT, then I am pleased to have been of help.

Yours Sincerely

Paul Waits
Hello John

Just thought I would let you know that early in the year we had a white squirrel in our road, which is St.John's Avenue, Purbrook and my daughter spotted one on the hill road going east just before you turn off to Homebase and the Bowling centre.

I have a couple of grey squirrels which come into my garden every day that I feed with monkey nuts and their favourite biscuits (McVities digestive) but I haven't yet seen another white one.

I wonder if they are spreading out from the town, as it appears from the newspaper article that more of them have been spotted there than in the countryside.

Regards

I expect someone has told you about this one already. The weekend before last I was walking up Museum Road and stopped to look at an ordinary grey one. While I was looking an albino one ran past in the background. This was on the grass area on the south east side ie. the same side as the Museum.

Dear John,

In response to the article in yesterdays News, we too have had sightings of white squirrels in our garden.

First spotted c.2 years ago there was then a period on several months last year when we saw none up to about a month ago since when 1/2 have been seen on a regular basis. I have seen them in the early afternoon (c.1pm) at the end of our garden in the company of greys but that is not to say they are around at other times. I will, from now on, pay more attention as to when and what time!

We live at the top end of The Dale in Widley (PO7) and our garden backs onto those of houses in The Brow (i.e. we are on the south side of the street).

After reading the article in the News about Albino squirrels I thought you might be interested to know that I have had an Albino squirrel visiting my garden daily for the last two years, it is becomming quite tame.

I live in Royal Way Waterlooville, and my garden backs onto Ferndale. It mixes quite happily with the many grey ones that are also permanent residents.

Claire Richardson

Hi john 3rd June 2005.

I know its not a new location for Albino Squirrels but I have had a pair of albinos nesting and resident in my garden in Farlington for at least two years. Last year they produced four youngsters - three white one grey which made a fascinating site as they chased and tumbled around the garden. They nest in an ivy clad willow and are there again this year and I am hopeful to get some pictures ( the ones I took last year were a bit distant).

Hope this is of interest. Mark Tutton

Albino squirrels in Southsea have produced 3 young - two white and one grey.

2 white squirrles sited in a garden in Hastings on the 20th September 2005.
Michelle Smith (chelleksmith@hotmail.com)

we have a white squirrel that comes at the bottom of our garden in wokingham berks

I have a real white squirrel...no pink eyes...and a bit of grey in the tail...here in Northern Virginia...USA...if I could figure out a way to attach a photo I would...I have several. [24th July 2006 - with grey in the tail and colour in the eyes this is a partial albino - I think!]

Phoned Reports

	2004
1	Monday 9th	Southwick Park golf course
2	Monday 16th	Emsworth
3	Nov 10th	The Vale Southsea	Maybe same as 8.
4	Nov 10th	Gatcombe Park	3 weeks old report.
5	Nov 10th	Hayling Island	with grays timing u/c. Could be the Langstone animal.
6	Nov 10th	Royal Way, Waterlooville	dates u/c
7	Nov 17th	Hastings	1 visiting 2 gardens
8	Nov 17th	Clarendon Road Southsea	2 said to be permanent residents
9	December 21st	Between Lovedean & Hambledon	One resident for 2/3 months.

What makes them White?

White squirrels that I have seen or have details of in this area are totally white and have pink eyes which makes them true albinos. This occurs when they have a complete lack of any colour pigments triggered by a lack of the enzyme tyrosinase. (You always wanted to know that!).

That can happen through a number of possible causes - dietary, trauma or, as is the case I believe with our squirrels, genetic factors. Each individual has two copies of the relevant gene. Within nay population there will be two forms of the gene - one for colour pigmentation and one for albinism which is a recessive one (whatever that means). An individual has to have two copies of the albinism gene to be an albino. If either copy of the gene is for pigmentation then the individual will be normally coloured.

Melanism

A much more complicated and rarer phenomena but there are melanistic grey squirrels in Hertfordshire. Melanistic squirrels are totally black!