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Pair of rare albino squirrels spotted in Chatham's Maidstone Road cemetery

By: Sean Delaney sdelaney@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 19:15, 12 February 2022

Updated: 19:24, 12 February 2022

A gran and her two grandsons stumbled across a pair of rare albino squirrels while on the school run.

The white-furred rodents were spotted scurrying around near some headstones and trees in Chatham's Maidstone Road Cemetery.

Grandmother Gillian Arnold spotted the rare squirrel while picking her grandsons up from school. Photo: Gillian Arnold

Nan Gillian Arnold, from Rainham, was on her way back from picking up grandsons Keilan, seven, and Riley, eight, from New Horizons Children's Academy when she spotted the first of two critters.

"I only saw one at first and then all of a sudden there was another one," she said. "Then one of them shot up a tree with some food. I had to take a double take."

At first Mrs Arnold thought they might be ferrets but closer inspection and a cursory google revealed them to be snow-white squirrels.

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The grandmother added: "Both my grandsons were amazed by them. It is something you don't expect to see. I felt very privileged."

Albino squirrels living in the UK are rare with the chances of spotting one said to be just one in 100,000.

Albino squirrels have been spotted in Chatham cemetery grounds on numerous occasions now. Picture: Lewis Keemar

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.

It's not the first time the furry critters have been spotted in Medway with the last sighting just a couple of months ago.

Last year, a couple were lucky enough to see the rare rodent in their back garden in The Beeches, Walderslade.

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