Albino raccoon had been living in Miller Place
Rare mammal was cared for by couple who want her home safely
3 comments below
Bill and Charlene Connolly of Miller Place say the rare albino raccoon spotted in Rocky Point had been living, and eating marshmallows, behind their house since birth.
The voice belonged to Charlene Connolly of Miller Place and Sparky is the rare albino raccoon spotted last week off Broadway in Rocky Point. Now Ms. Connolly and her husband, Bill, would like to see the raccoon return safely to the wooded area near their home, where they say she has lived since birth.
The Connollys said they learned of Sparky's whereabouts when a friend pointed out last week's North Shore Sun article about the rare sighting.
Wildlife experts estimate that only about one in every 750,000 adult raccoons is albino. And several local experts who viewed photos of Sparky last week said they had never before seen or heard of an albino raccoon living on Long Island.
"It's an extremely rare find," said Timothy Green, cultural and natural resource manager for Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The Connollys said they recognized how unusual Sparky was when they first laid eyes on her, and for that reason they have taken a special interest in her.
"We had never seen a white raccoon before and we've had 'coons here forever," Bill Connolly said. "We looked it up on the Internet and we found out just how rare they were."
In an effort to help her survive, the Connollys, who said the raccoon responds to her name, said they've been feeding her and giving her water ever since they found her.
Mike Clark, a wildlife biologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said the lack of pigmentation in the white raccoon is a recessive trait. The Connollys said neither Sparky's mother nor her offspring -- they say she recently gave birth to a litter of raccoons -- are albino.
The Connollys also said Sparky often navigates alone through the woods near their home.
"She's an outcast," Ms. Connolly said. "The other raccoons didn't want anything to do with her."
That changed, Ms. Connolly said, on the night Sparky took off. She said a pack of raccoons wanted to have their way with Sparky when they picked a fight with her about three weeks ago.
"You could hear them screaming," Ms. Connolly said. "It was blood curdling."
The couple said the albino never resurfaced after that night. That is until The Sun story was published.
Thomas Pousson of Broadway in Rocky Point sent in pictures of Sparky after his family and a pair of passersby spotted the unusual mammal in the woods across from his home June 19. Since The Sun story was published, one other person also has said she spotted an albino raccoon in the same area.
There have been no confirmed sightings for nearly two weeks.
The Connollys thought about driving to Rocky Point to find Sparky, but they know they're not supposed to remove a wild animal from its habitat, so they've backed off that plan.
Ms. Connolly hopes Sparky will return on her own.
"We're worried sick about her," Ms. Connolly said. "We keep waiting for her, thinking she'll make her way back home. I have her picture on my kitchen table. I keep looking at it, hoping she'll be back."
gparpan@northshoresun.com
The North Shore Sun is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The North Shore Sun does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The North Shore Sun. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Service and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
3 comments found
RockyPointSighting 8/1/2009 : 8/2/2009
Your raccoon visited our barbecue last evening and spent the better part of an hour watching from a tree in the adjacent woods. We are just 1 block off Broadway on a parallel street with woods between.
Racoon : 7/4/2009
Hope you find her! I have a "racoon tray" on my fence. I put leftovers on the tray and the racoons never bother our garbage cans. Also,my garbage never smells!!!!! Between the racoons, birds,etc. everything disappears over night.
Sparkey : 7/3/2009
I sure hope Sparkey finds her way home or that someone can put her in the woods near the Connnoly home as she sure looked better in the photo from them than she does now.
