According to a recent New York Times report, a giant all-white albino panda was seen in China. This is the very first time that the panda has been captured on camera. The Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature is speaking out about the sighting. Li Sheng says this is the first panda of its kind to be discovered in this country.
Qinling has been home to some brown and white pandas. Those who reside in Shaanxi, a province located in northwestern China, have seen them for themselves. Qizai is a well known brown and white panda who lives in this region. The wild panda is not always easy to study, though. These animals tend to be resistant to living in areas that are highly populated.
They would much rather live in areas that are more remote and understandably so. This makes the research process much more difficult. In order to properly differentiate between the different pandas, significant steps have already been taken. A Chinese conservation center developed an app that allows for greater levels of facial recognition. This key step will make research much easier.
Image Credit: Wolong National Nature Reserve
The database has been in existence for two years now and contains the information of at least 10,000 pandas. As for the albino panda, they are believed to be very young. The one (or two) year old panda was photographed with the usage of infrared cameras. The first photos of this jaw dropping creature were taken back in April, at Sichaun’s Wolong National Nature Reserve.
This is one of the most random occurrences of albinism in the wild. “Albinism manifests itself so infrequently,” says Dr. Li. The researchers were lucky to record it. Wild animals who experience albinism are fortunate, in the sense that they are able to enjoy the same quality of life as any of their counterparts. The life of this particular panda has not been affected at all.
The panda looks to be well and we are glad to see that they are thriving in their current environment. The reserve where the panda resides plans to increase their usage of infrared cameras. This will allow them to track more of the animal’s movements in the future. This technology is also able to track the movements of any potential offspring. We wish this albino panda all of the best and hope that they are able to enjoy a long and healthy life!
