Rare one in 100,000 albino squirrel spotted in Haddington

A spokesperson for conservation group Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, an offshoot of Scottish Wildlife Trust, said East Lothian had a higher than average population of white squirrels, but did not have exact figures.

However they added the animals were still an invasive species which pose a threat to the native red variety.

“We receive a fair few sightings of albino grey squirrels from the East Lothian area throughout the year,” they said.

“It may be that there is a prevalence of these genes in the population in this part of Scotland, although we cannot give any definite figures for numbers of squirrels experiencing the condition at this time.”

They added: “It should be said that these albino grey squirrels, whilst interesting to see, are an invasive non-native species which pose a great threat to Scotland’s native red squirrels, outcompeting them for food and habitat.”