Spooky! Have you ever seen the ghost squirrels that haunt the woods of North Carolina?
Actually, they’re not all that scary, but they are fascinating. The U.S. Forest Service says the white squirrels that now live in Pisgah National Forest are probably the descendants of other white squirrels that escaped when a carnival truck overturned back in 1950 in the town of Brevard.
“In a twist of fate, they not only survived but thrived, breeding and populating the surrounding area,” writes the U.S. Forest Service. “Pisgah National Forest now treasures these unique squirrels, and interestingly, they coexist seamlessly with the native eastern grey squirrels.”
“It’s estimated around one-third of Brevard’s squirrels are now white,” according to the Charlotte Observer. “The unique rodents are so beloved that the city voted in 1986 to become a squirrel sanctuary.”
The squirrels are not albino, but rather have leucism, which causes white coloration without the pink/red eyes that are typically associated with albinism.
