Rare all-white panda spotted in China

CHENGDU - A rare all-white panda has been captured on cameras in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the reserve management authorities said on Saturday.

The panda was captured in mid-April by an infrared camera about 2,000 meters above sea level in the wild, the authorities said.

The panda has no spots on its body and its eyes look red. It was crossing the forest at the time.

"Judging from pictures, the panda is an albino, one to two years old," said Li Sheng, a researcher with Peking University and a specialist in bears, who studied the pictures.

The panda is a rare all-white individual in wild pandas, which showed that the albinism genes exist in the wild population of giant pandas in Wolong, he said.

"The panda looked strong and his steps were steady, a sign that the genetic mutation may not have quite impeded its life," said Li.