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Rare albino squirrel spotted in Chatham Maidstone Road cemetery

By: Alex Langridge alangridge@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 13:02, 15 December 2021

Updated: 16:47, 15 December 2021

A couple stumbled across a rare albino squirrel while out on a walk through the Medway Towns.

The white-furred rodent was snapped near a tree in Chatham's Maidstone Road Cemetery.

An albino squirrel spotted in Chatham cemetery grounds. Picture: Lewis Keemar

Lewis Keemar reported the sighting while out on a 10-mile walk yesterday with his partner Connie, 23.

The pair were walking along Maidstone Road when they saw the squirrel and stopped on the approach to the cemetery.

The 24-year-old said: "I walk that route quite often and I have never seen that before there. It was amazing.

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"I did not know how rare they were until I looked it up."

There are only around 50 albino squirrels living in the UK and the chances of spotting one is just one in 100,000.

An albino squirrel spotted in Chatham cemetery grounds. Picture: Lewis Keemar
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Their white coats are due to a genetic condition which causes an absence of melanin giving them their unique colouring but also red eyes.

In grey squirrels, it can also be caused by a partial loss of pigmentation but this does not effect the colouring of their eyes.

Earlier this year, another couple were lucky enough to see the rare rodent in their back garden in The Beeches, Walderslade.

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