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Tottenham resident visited by rare albino chipmunks 

September 12, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

A Tottenham resident has some very rare visitors who come out to greet him every afternoon.

Ron Passer, who lives on the 10th Sideroad, has been feeding the squirrels and chipmunks on his property for years. They are friendly critters and approach Ron when he throws out peanuts for them to eat.

This year, however, he has two very rare visitors – albino chipmunks.

He first noticed an all-white chipmunk in May, presumably its first summer after leaving the nest. Then one day he saw the white chipmunk again, but this time it was accompanied by another white chipmunk – there were two of them.

Most likely the chipmunks were siblings.

“I first saw them near the end of May,” Ron explained. “The two of them have to be related somehow. I was sitting out here one day and saw the white one. I thought, ‘that’s rare.’ He ran off that day, then a few days later, there were two of them standing on the steps together. It was unusual to see one, but there’s two. They’re white with red eyes.”

Albino animals exist in most species, but they are very rare.

Albinism in animals is the congenital absence of melanin, resulting in white hair, feathers, scales, and skin. The condition also results in reddish pink or blue eyes.

Animals that are albino have a real disadvantage as they lack the normal colour that helps them blend into their surroundings and are easily spotted by predators. At the same time, other studies indicated that because they don’t have the usual colouring, some predators don’t recognize them as a food source.

Albino chipmunks are extremely rare. Conservation studies indicate the probability of an albino chipmunk is around one in 200,000.

“I see them every day,” Ron said. “Sometimes they come by themselves and other times they come together. The squirrels and chipmunks all come together.”

The chipmunks all recognize Ron and approach him when he throws out the peanuts.

Chipmunks typically live for around three years. If Ron’s visitors can stay out of sight and remain safe, he may see them return again next spring.

There is also a possibility that there may be more albino chipmunks if the two parent chipmunks remain together. 

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