Rare All-White Panda Spotted In China's Nature Reserve

A rare, all-white panda, which is believed to be the only one alive across the world today, was recently spotted in China's Wolong National Nature Reserve, as per a report in the South China Morning Post. 

According to the report, the albino panda was probably five or six years old and did not appear to have any health issues. The unusual species was first spotted by the wildlife reserve's cameras in April 2019, at an elevation of roughly 2,000 metres (6,561 feet). In May 2019, the Wolong National Nature Reserve released the first pictures of the animal, which showed its white fur, claws and unusual red eyes. 

According to CCTV footage, which is being shared widely on social media, the reserve authorities have now formed a specialised team to keep an eye on the albino panda. The scientists built and set up motion-activated cameras to record the animal's activities after researching its possible routine and habits.

Infrared cameras have captured footage of the world's only all-white panda approaching a mother panda and her cub in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province. pic.twitter.com/RYHLbL3Hbx

— FANG Qiu (@AmbFangQiu) May 30, 2023

The viral clip shows the hue panda walking on the snow and later interacting with other black and white pandas, at an altitude of about 2,600 metres above sea level, as per a report from People's Daily. Li Sheng, a researcher at Peking University's School of Life Sciences said that it was the "first albino giant panda recorded in the wild". "It is still unclear whether its gene will be inherited and steadily passed on in the small panda population, and more follow-up research is needed," he said.

It is to be noted that giant pandas are indigenous to China and are primarily found in the mountains of the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. According to China's biodiversity assessment, roughly 1,860 of them were present in the wild in 2021.