Bhilwara: A rare albino squirrel has been spotted in Tonk district, nearly a year after its previous sighting, delighting wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials.The white squirrel was seen in the forested campus of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Deoli amid a cluster of neem trees. A CISF official captured the rare sighting on a mobile phone.Wildlife experts said albino squirrels are extremely rare, with only one estimated to be born among nearly 100,000 squirrel offspring. The white colouration is caused by a genetic mutation and does not indicate a separate species. They added that albino squirrels do not necessarily produce white offspring.Forest officials said this is possibly only the second documented sighting of an albino squirrel in Rajasthan, with the first also reported from the same CISF campus.Assistant conservator of forests (Tonk) Anurag Maharshi said the squirrel belongs to the common squirrel species but appears white due to a genetic condition. He said the lush, green CISF campus provides a safe habitat, making the repeated sighting significant from a conservation perspective.
