AN extremely rare albino panda has been caught on camera for what is thought to be the first time ever in China.
The Wolong National Nature Reserve in the southwestern province of Sichuan released a photo of the animal from the wild over the weekend.
The image, captured by an infrared motion-activated camera back in April, shows a giant panda cub with an all-white body and reddish eyes walking through a bamboo forest.
Scientists determined that the creature's appearance was caused by albinism, the rare genetic condition which causes a total or partial lack of the skin pigment melanin.
Animals with albinism are often at greater risk from predators in the wild because they can be spotted more easily and have poorer eyesight.
You are looking at the first-ever photo of a WHITE giant panda in the world. This #panda was spotted by a surveillance camera at a natural reserve in SW China's Sichuan in April. Scientists believe the color change is a result of albino and the panda is in good health. pic.twitter.com/KWBr4Fl6TD
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) 25 May 2019
However, the reserve said the panda appeared "physically strong, with a steady gait" despite its condition and is believed to be aged between one and two years old.
The giant panda is classified as "Vulnerable" by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), with habitat loss and climate change the biggest threats to their survival.
Less than 2,000 of the native Chinese species are believed to remain in the wild - making sightings of albino giant pandas exceptionally rare.
Reserve officials said they would install more infrared cameras in the area to track the albino panda and its activities.
Scientists also expressed hope of seeing its parents or offspring, as albinism is a hereditary condition usually inherited in a recessive pattern.
Remember the rare all-white panda captured on camera in southwest China's Sichuan?
"Judging from pictures, the panda is an albino," says a specialist in bears. For more: https://t.co/QEMKc4pVd1 pic.twitter.com/ciZSppP1g7— China Xinhua Sci-Tech (@XHscitech) 25 May 2019
