A rare albino panda has been captured on camera in China for the first time and it's adorable

In 'today in incredibly cute news', a nature reserve in China has taken what is believed to be the first ever photograph of an albino panda, and it's adorable, to say the least.

The snow-white, red-eyed animal was photographed in mid-April in the Wolong national nature reserve in the south-western province of Sichuan, and it is believed to be the first ever albino panda that's ever been photographed, reports the Telegraph.

The giant panda, which was pictured with a remote infrared camera, is believed to be between one and two years old, although no other details such as its sex are known, the Wolong national nature reserve told AFP.

Scientists have since determined that the bear's white appearance, with its all-white body and reddish eyes, were caused by albinism, a condition that means there is a total or partial lack of the skin pigment melanin.

In a statement, the reserve said the panda appeared 'physically strong with a steady gate', which was evidence to prove that the condition hadn't affected the animal's normal functioning, reports the Guardian.

The Giant Panda is one of the rarest bears in the world, with less than 2,000 alive in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund. There are approximately 548 giant pandas in captivity globally, and more than 80 per cent of the world's pandas live in Sichuan, reports the Telegraph.

Scientists from the China Conservation and Research Centre said that the picture suggests that the particular recessive gene is present in the local panda population in Wolong, and it is not yet known if the gene will be passed on.

However, the park has said that it will set up more cameras to track the pandas and their development, saying:

If we can capture the next generation, the research value will be even greater.

Others however just saw it as good news in an otherwise dreary news mix.

Apart from the ones that didn't.

HT The Guardian

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