A unique albino giant panda that could very well be the only one of its kind has been sighted once again in southwestern China.
CCTV footage shows the rare animal covered from head to toe in white fur walking around in the snow in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province.
Another clip shows the bear, which is believed to be about five or six years old, in several cutaway scenes as it roams the wildlife reserve – home to over 150 giant pandas.
Reserve authorities said the panda appears to be in good health.
The distinctive animal with white fur and claws, and red eyes was initially spotted on reserve cameras in April 2019 at an altitude of about 2,000 metres (6,561 feet).
A special team has since been monitoring the panda and studying its daily movements with the help of motion-activated cameras.
It was reportedly even seen interacting with numerous other regular black-and-white pandas that live in its surroundings.
A researcher at the Peking University’s School of Life Sciences, Li Sheng, claimed this is the first-ever albino panda recorded in the wild.
Professor Sheng said: “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.”
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) – a species native to China considered to be the country’s national treasure – has been classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
According to China’s 2021 biodiversity report, there are approximately 1,860 giant pandas living in the wild.
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