Rare albino squirrel spotted in tree by children

Two children have spotted and photographed a rare albino squirrel in a churchyard.

James, 11, and Jennifer, eight, identified the animal on Monday at St Martin's Church in Dorking, Surrey, their mother Abigail told the BBC.

Albino squirrels, thought to a one-in-100,000 genetic occurrence, are identified by their white coat with pink eyes.

"I think the people in the churchyard were quite bemused at what we were looking at but the children were really, really excited, especially my son," Abigail said.

She said the family were counting squirrels when daughter Jennifer spotted the animals and her son identified it as albino.

James is "very into his animals so he understood what he was seeing" and was "over the moon" with the find, according to his mother.

She said: "He was really keen to take some pictures. He sent it to all his friends. He sent it to some of his friends' mums. He sent it to all our family."

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