The past week I have received phone calls and letters from readers that are very interested in wildlife and wanted to share their experiences with me.

The picture of the bear in my yard stirred up a lot of interest and a woman from Butler shared a photograph that she had taken of an albino squirrel that resides not more than a mile or two from the Butler Eagle newsroom.

Anytime an animal appears in the wild as an albino it certainly draws attention to itself as an unusual representation of its species.

To be considered a true albino the features of the animal have some common characteristics and these are; pale or lack of color in the skin, hair, feathers, scales and cuticles. Often times the eyes will appear red but that is due to lack of normal pigmentation and being clear to the iris which is normally red and shows up in many photos as “red eye.”

It is a genetically rare event and stands out with any species when there is a lack of melanin. Albinism results from the inheritance of the recessive gene alleles and affects all vertebrates. Parents can carry the gene and appear to be a normal coloration and the offspring can be born albino.

Many cultures have unusual beliefs around animals they have encountered that are albino. Native Americans often saw albino animals as having mystic powers such as the white buffalo, the white wapiti or the white deer and saw them as sacred and spiritually significant. Native Americans, especially plains peoples saw the buffalo as survival and bounty for the hunt when a white buffalo appeared in the range. There are many tales of the white buffalo in western lore and can be found even to this day.

Here in Pennsylvania we have our own lore around albino animals, especially deer.

I have seen albino deer in Butler County and they truly stand out among their normal colored brethren. Traditions say that hunting an albino deer will bring you much bad luck and many hunters would never harvest an albino. There is no evidence either way but why take the chance, and it is cool to see them walking about anyway.

The deer had offspring that were also albinos. Other animals that I have seen include a white albino robin that visited my neighbor’s home every year for its normal lifetime. That robin nested and raised a brood of baby robins every year and none of them were albino.

The picture of the albino squirrel was interesting because I was interested in the opposite change in pigmentation known as the black squirrel. Although the majority of squirrels around here have the normal gray to red colorations there are regions where we can find a totally different coloration and still be the same species. Adapting to environment due to conditions is not unusual generally but still fascinating to observe.

Many species are put in a disadvantage when they are born albino. Pigmentation is a natural protection from the sun and lack of color can leave the skin open to damaging sun rays and cause injury.

The ability to hide from enemies, blend in while hunting, and not be the focus of attention are all good things for wildlife. When this can’t occur, the animal is suspect to danger and the inability to care for itself sufficiently.

Many species like the snowshoe hare, the ermine and snowy owls use their coloration as both protection and an aid to be camouflaged in the winter months, which is a perfect genetic adaptation that suits their species.

The odds of being born albino are in the 1-in-1,000 range, so when you have the opportunity to observe or witness the occurrence in the wild you are very fortunate indeed.

So now I will be waiting to hear about all the albino animals that people have seen or witnessed in the wild that are always sure to be a topic of conversation at almost any gathering where people chat about the great outdoors.

Until we meet again, get out into the great outdoors and enjoy your summer.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.