White Squirrels of Olney – Olney, Illinois
Everyone has seen the squirrels that run around our yards, regardless of what part of the country we live in, but have you ever seen a WHITE Squirrel? The town of Olney has them, they are just waiting for you to come and see them and admire their uniqueness.
There are a couple of ideas of how the squirrels ended up in Olney, both of the hypotheses are well documented and substantiated by eyewitnesses from the time, which is around 1902. One of the stories says that a hunter shot a mother squirrel as she was headed to her nest and when she fell two babies fell out of the nest to the ground. They were white. Because they were different he put them in the pocket of his game bag and took them home to his sons who bottle fed them and raised them. After being confined in a cage at a local pub in Olney for sometime they were released into the wild in Tippit’s Woods.
The other story is that a cream-colored squirrel and a white squirrel were captured on a farm about 6 miles southeast of Summer. The farmer that captured them raised several litters and then took a pair to Olney in 1902. Apparently both stories agree that the squirrels were on display at the tavern until released into the wild following a law being passed prohibiting the containment of wild animals.
In about 1941 there were 800 white squirrels. Each year there is a count held of both white and gray squirrels in the area along with the number of cats. The squirrel population dropped to below 100 and so the city council amended its ordinance which disallowed dogs from running free to include cats not being allowed to run free either. There is hope that this will help to increase the white squirrel count.
The community has been in numerous newspapers and on TV with the story about the white squirrels which attract the attention of those that want to see something different of nature. If you want to see them it is best to watch early in the morning. It is suggested that you see them in their natural habitat such as the Olney City Park, Millers Grove (which is located on the south side of East Fork Lake) and in several of the neighborhoods around town that have mature trees and feeding stations.
In 2009 the squirrel count had the white squirrels at 111 but the hopes of increasing that number depend on the predators such as hawks, fox and cats being discouraged from coming to where the squirrels are. The community has asked that pet food not be left outside due to predators eating it and that doors to sheds and out buildings be closed to keep the predators from using them for shelter and to raise their young.