BROWNFIELD, Maine — Shawna Dewitt got the rare treat of spotting a small albino porcupine in Brownfield over the weekend. Dewitt says she was driving with her husband heading home on Route 113, after turkey hunting when her husband yelled, "Stop!"
He had spotted the little albino critter munching on a treat in someone's backyard. The couple pulled over to video the porcupine. Dewitt says the animal got on this back legs and watched the couple for a long time before walking off.
Dewitt says it is her first time spotting an albino porcupine.
Ryan Robicheau with the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says albino animals are seen only very infrequently in Maine.
In July employees at the Seashore Trolley Museum welcomed an albino porcupine who waddled on their lawn. At first, employees thought he was a skunk or a groundhog and kept their distance, which experts say is a good idea no matter the species.
The Trolley Museum has become a popular spot for Maine wildlife and employees said they spotted a turkey, a family of woodchucks, a snapping turtle, a bear and the rare albino porcupine all during the summer of 2019 at their 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport.
Back in December of 2018, an albino porcupine was spotted in Windham. The average lifespan of a porcupine is five to six years so it is possible that it is the same guy though highly unlikely.