Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rare albino camel spotted at China nature reserve

White-skinned camel same species as critically endangered Bactrian camels, says nature reserve

Kate Ng
Monday 28 September 2020 19:17 BST
Comments
Rare albino camel spotted at China nature reserve

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A rare albino specimen of a critically endangered camel has been recorded on film at a nature reserve in northwest China’s Gansu province.

Footage from the Annanba Wild Camel National Nature Reserve shows the camel with all-white skin alongside a dozen other brown camels drinking from a puddle.

Staff at the reserve told Chinese media that the albino camel could be the first of its kind captured on camera in the world. Zhou Yongxiang, a member of staff, told Xinhua Net that the white-skinned camel is the same species as the Bactrian camel at the reserve, which normally have brown skin and fur.

They said the camel’s white skin was visible as the animals were in the middle of their shedding season, and it is unclear if its fur will also be white once it has grown out.

The Annanba reserve is located between the Kumtag Desert and the Altun Mountains, and is home to around a third of the total wild camel population in China.

Bactrian camels are the only true wild camels still in existence, and are native to the steppes of Central Asia. They have two distinctive humps on their backs, instead of the single hump of their Arabian relatives.

Also known as Mongolian camels, these animals are listed as critically endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in