Global Courant 2023-05-29 08:02:00
CHENGDU – Infrared cameras captured images of the world’s only all-white panda approaching a mother panda and her cub at Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China’s Sichuan province, the reserve’s authorities said Saturday.
In the video recorded in late February this year, the all-white panda walked up to the mother panda and cub resting in a tree hollow and signaled to communicate. However, the mother panda did not leave the cave and remained calm.
After the mother and cub left the hollow, the all-white panda came back to the tree hollow and sniffed every place the mother panda was staying.
“The cub in the footage is about one to two years old and the all-white panda is almost the size of an adult. In late February, wild pandas in Wolong have entered estrus season, during which the female pandas with cubs can be very aggressive when an adult panda approaches or invades,” said Wei Rongping, a senior engineer at the China Conservation and Research Center for giant pandas.
“This panda female was extremely ‘calm’ and did not comply with the general rule. One possibility is that the female panda is the mother of the all-white panda,” Wei added.
There are also another 15 video recordings of the overlapping trajectories of the three pandas in a short period of time, the reserve management authorities said.
The striking creature came into view after infrared cameras captured its figure about 2,000 meters above sea level in Wolong National Nature Reserve in April 2019.
With no spots on its body and unique red eyes, it was concluded that the wild giant panda was an albino, the only one of its kind anywhere on Earth to date. CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
