Whiter than white

Persil the albino squirrel is nothing if not distinctive.

While his brother Daz was born the more traditional silver-grey, Persil emerged into the world whiter than white from nose to tail.

Experts say the chances of an albino squirrel being born in Britain stand at 100,000 to one.

Now five weeks old, Persil was found after he and his brother were knocked out of their nest by a football kicked into a tree.

Apart from some bruising, they escaped essentially unscathed from their eight-metre fall to the ground. A passer-by found them on a verge in Carlton Grove, Peckham, and drove them to the London Wildcare Centre in Wallington, Surrey, where they are being weaned on powdered milk.

Persil, who is more fragile than his brother and at 45g weighs no more than a packet of crisps, is expected to make a full recovery and live for eight years - longer than he could have hoped to in the wild.

Albinos are a wonder of the animal kingdom but, when left to fend for themselves, many don't survive. They are picked on by their own kind and are quickly spotted by predators as they have no natural camouflage.

Many never attract a mate and end up either starving or being eaten.

Ted Burden, director of the Wildcare Centre, said: "Persil is a friendly little fellow. He soon realised we're a good surrogate mum and latched on to the milk syringe well.

"He was a little stunned when he came to us but he is gaining confidence by the day. Persil did well to survive the drop from his nest, as albinos tend to be more fragile. We're all excited about our latest arrival.

"He is now part of our family. We receive 180 squirrels a year and it's fair to say Persil will stand out, for obvious reasons. We're very attached to him."

Albinism occurs in reptiles, birds and mammals when an animal inherits faulty genes from its parents.

These genes are responsible for the production of the pigment melanin, which makes skin, hair and fur brownish rather than white. Both parents have to be carriers of the gene for their offspring to be albino.

Persil, who is six inches long from nose to tail, may have had little chance in the wild but now his future is assured.

It is unlikely he will be reunited with his parents but hospital staff are so attached to him they have offered him and Daz a permanent home at the centre, where they will have the run of a newly built 30ft-long enclosure.

Once in the enclosure, vets believe Persil's biggest problem will be avoiding sunburn.