A rare all-white panda has been caught on camera at a nature reserve in south-west China, showing albinism exists among wild pandas in the region.
The spotless, red-eyed animal was photographed while trekking through the forest last month in south-western Sichuan province.
The panda is an albino between one and two years old, said Mr Li Sheng, a researcher specialising in bears at Peking University.
More than 80 per cent of the world's wild pandas live in Sichuan, with the rest in Shaanxi and Gansu province.
As of November, there were 548 giant pandas in global captivity.
Qizai, the only brown panda alive
The number living in the wild has dwindled to fewer than 2,000, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Famed for its "panda diplomacy", in which China dispatches the rare animals to other countries as a symbol of close relations, Beijing has invested in different programmes to protect its furry ambassadors in recent years.
Pandas are currently listed as a vulnerable species, which means that while their survival is still threatened, conservation efforts have helped reduce their danger of extinction.
A rare all-white panda has been caught on camera at a nature reserve in south-west China, showing albinism exists among wild pandas in the region.
Qizai, the only brown panda alive
Pandas are currently listed as a vulnerable species, which means that while their survival is still threatened, conservation efforts have helped reduce their danger of extinction.
