'Rogue' black squirrel spotted near Coventry Cathedral

[dutchman]

A “rogue” mutant black squirrel is thought to have strayed into the heart of Coventry.



The lone squirrel was spotted by a member of the public near Coventry Cathedral, and now the sighting has been officially recorded by an academic at Anglia Ruskin University.

Senior Lecturer Helen McRobie, 46, said: “Why a single black squirrel would be in Coventry city centre is a good question.

“It’s likely to be a rogue squirrel, they do scamper around the place.

“This one probably ran off to find a new mating ground, because there have been other sightings of black squirrels in surrounding areas.”

Locals have spotted more black squirrels around Exhall and between Coventry and Bedworth.

Helen first became interested in the rare breed – which has two mutated genes – when she was an undergraduate. Since Anglia Ruskin set up a website for the project, thousands of sightings have been reported to help her with her research.

She said: “The jet black squirrel was introduced in North America, and it was the Victorians that first brought them over to the United Kingdom in little cages.

“They were kept in private zoos, mainly.

“We think the reason they can be found in many parts of Britain now is that they either escaped, or were released into the wild.

They’re from the same family as the grey squirrel, which has driven out many of our native red squirrels, so they’ve definitely contributed to that.

“I don’t think the Victorians had any idea, they probably thought all the different coloured squirrels would play happily in the countryside.”

Helen is looking for further sightings of Coventry’s elusive black squirrel, so that she can confirm the original finding.

To report a sighting, go to http://www.blacksquirrelproject.org.