His photo caused a stir – now researchers know more about the albino panda

Chinese researchers have gained new insights into a rare albino panda that first walked into a photo trap in China’s Woloing Nature Reserve in 2019.

A DNA test has shown that the snow-white giant panda is a male, Chinese state media reported on Friday. A team of experts examined the bear’s droppings and behavior.

According to the reports, the scientists also spent four years studying the albino panda’s feeding behavior, its possible mating and fighting activities, and how it marks its territory. Their work required the experts to climb to an altitude of 2,000 to 3,200 meters in the animal’s habitat in the mountains, which sometimes took about ten hours.

Due to its special appearance, the bear does not seem like an outsider. “The white panda has established positive relationships with other individuals in the area,” said panda expert Li Sheng of the renowned Beijing University, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Pandas usually have black and white fur. The albino panda could therefore have a metabolic disorder. In animals and people with albinism, the formation of the pigment melanin is disturbed. Skin, hair or fur are particularly light due to the genetic defect.

In China, giant pandas are considered national animals. They are one of the most endangered species in the world. According to UNESCO, the reserves around Wolong are home to about 30 percent of the world’s panda population. According to the environmental organization WWF, just over 1,800 giant pandas live in the wild. The animals are solitary animals and feed mainly on bamboo.

(yam/sda/dpa)