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Let’s hope the white squirrel that Miriam Arend recently spotted wasn’t among those affected by Thursday’s bad weather.
Arend, who graduated from Uni High in May and will be attending the University of Illinois, spotted the squirrel last week at the corner of Washington and Busey Streets on her way to work in a UI science lab.
“My mom was driving me to campus (and) it was really cute,” Arend said. “It was like being out there, and I think my mom said she’s seen it there a few times before, so I assume she just lives there in some tree.”
The rarest variety of white squirrel, the albino white squirrel, has about a one in 100,000 chance of being born, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The unique squirrels have already piqued the interest in Champaign-Urbana; a piebald eastern gray squirrel named Pinto Bean had a following and gained his own Wikipedia page last fall.
Arend’s family also took note of the unique creature.
His mother, Mary Kate, has spotted him “at least” twice as of Friday, leading them to conclude that he resides somewhere in the area. Miriam, however, has yet to see him since.
‘We take the same route to work every day, but I haven’t seen him since,’ Miriam said. “It’s just the only time for me.”
