We have all heard of a “white whale”. Believe it or not, Huntsville may have its own version of that.
It’s much smaller, much faster, and much cuter.
The story begins on a cloudy and rainy October morning at the Monte Sano viewpoint.
“We don’t have the ideal day with the rain,” said Carolyn Cavender Alexander.
She is on the hunt, looking for her next target.
“Most of them have migrated south now,” he said.
Alexander is not hunting like most Alabamans do. Instead, she is hunting with her camera.
“There have been very few days where I haven’t gone out and used this camera,” Alexander said.
There is something special you are looking for this Monday morning.
“He’s a fast little boy,” he explained. “As soon as he sees you, he’s gone!”
That “little friend” is a red-eyed, snow-colored squirrel, appropriately named Monte.
“I think the general consensus, with the red eyes, is that he’s an albino,” Alexander said.
WAAY 31 asked the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources if Monte really is an albino. And, just as Alexander thought, they said those red eyes gave him away.
Alexander has seen his furry friend several times. On Monday we joined her to see if we could have the same luck.
Lo and behold, as we prepared to get a video of her honing her photography skills, Monte decided to make an appearance.
“Come on, boy,” Alexander said as he took photos. “Come on, sweet Monte.”
There she was, munching on some nuts and storing some for the winter, posing for the cameras all the while.
“Who would have thought I’d show up for you, Luke?” Alexander asked after Monte ran into the woods.
Like all of our “Alabama Originals”, Monte is special. Only 1 in 100,000 squirrels is born albino. Experts said that those that are actually born white don’t last long, because their sheer color makes them easy targets for predators.
But we’re happy to say that so far Monte is doing well.
“He’s good at elusion,” Alexander said.
This is also not Monte’s first time at WAAY 31.
Alexander He sent us some photos of him through the “Alabama the Beautiful” Facebook group. We use them in the air using #ATBWAAY31.
To see other “Alabama Originals”, click HERE. If you have an idea for an “Alabama Original”, email Luke at [email protected].