World’s first albino panda captured on camera for the first time in China

While this cute and cuddly bear might look like a polar bear, it’s not. The all-white bear is an albino panda.

What’s believed to be the world’s first images of an albino panda were captured in Wolong National Nature Reserve in China’s Sichuan province in mid-April.

According to a press release, the giant panda triggered an infrared camera in April as it roamed through a bamboo forest in China’s Wolong National Nature Reserve.

Researchers observed the animal’s white fur, red eyes, and white claws and determined it was a rare albino panda.

“Judging from pictures, the panda is an albino, one to two years old,” Li Sheng, a researcher with Peking University and a specialist in bears, said, according to CCTV.

While albinism isn’t necessarily rare, experts believe Pinky the dolphin is an albino too, this white panda is believed to be the first of its kind.

Even though this particular panda looks different, albinism is a gene mutation that causes a lack of melanin, and generally does not negatively impact a human or animal’s life.