A dad managed to snap some pictures of a rare albino squirrel that he saw posing outside his home – and now she’s a regular visitor.
Richard Waugh, 51, was stunned when he spotted the rare animal scampering around outside his Edinburgh flat.
The software developer said he now sees the unusual critter – which he’s dubbed Lexy – a couple times a week.
He has even started to scatter nuts out for her to give her a snack.
The striking rodent is completely white, apart from her ears, nose and paws which have a pinkish tinge.
It is a condition that affects only one in a million grey squirrels – and there are only thought to be 50 in the UK.
Their unique fur is caused by an absence of melanin, which affects their hair, and cases their eyes to go a reddish-pink.
The odds of a squirrel being born white is one in 100,000.
Dad-of-two Richard snapped the pictures of cheeky Lexy rummaging around in the leaves outside his home on November 21.
He said: “I was going to out to the shops, and she was running about, luckily I had my camera with me.
“She seemed to be in a good mood and posed for a few photos.
“I reckon it’s about four years she has been hanging about here now, I’ve been lucky and seen her a lot.
“I usually see her a couple of times a week, although she seems to disappear for a couple of weeks at a time, it’s always good to see her when she’s back.
“I don’t really feed her but on rare occasions I sometimes see her from the flat window and take down a few nuts to scatter about in the grass and trees.
“She is quite cheeky, sometimes she just runs off with a couple of cheeky glances back from the trees, other times it’s like she is sitting posing for photos. She seems to get on well enough with the other wildlife.
“She’s pretty fast on her feet and she gives as good as she gets when she if she is getting bullied.”
Albino squirrels are believed to have sight and hearing problems, making life in the wild very difficult for them.
Olalekan Ajimoti – Blogger, Content Writer, and Digital Marketer helping brands and retailers build 8-figure e-commerce since 2016.
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