Beijing 1 June 2026(UNIPA News)-The world’s only known albino giant panda has once again been captured on camera in the wild at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, southwest China, according to reserve officials and researchers.
The rare all-white panda was first documented in 2019 when infrared cameras installed in the reserve recorded the animal at an altitude of approximately 2,000 metres. Researchers estimate the panda is now around seven years old and confirmed in 2023 that it is male.
Recent footage shows the albino panda roaming freely within the reserve and interacting normally with other wild giant pandas. Earlier in 2023, the animal was also observed approaching a female panda and her cub.
Researchers say the panda appears healthy, physically strong and well adapted to its environment. According to Li Sheng of Peking University’s School of Life Sciences, the animal has established positive relationships with other pandas in the area, highlighting the quality of the habitat, the availability of food resources and the effectiveness of conservation measures within the reserve.
Officials noted that sightings of the panda are most frequent during spring, which coincides with the giant panda mating season. Conservation teams are collecting hair and fecal samples for DNA analysis to better understand the animal’s biology and determine whether other giant pandas regularly associate with it.
The Wolong National Nature Reserve is one of China’s most important habitats for giant pandas. Fewer than 2,000 giant pandas are believed to remain in the forests of southwest China, where the species typically inhabits remote mountainous regions.
