Rare brown panda grows up in NW China

When you hear the word "panda", you usually think of a cute black-and-white bear. An exception to that rule just celebrated¹ a birthday.

An extremely rare brown panda, discovered by Chinese researchers in the Qinling Mountains in Northwest China, turned 5 years old, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The panda, named Qi Zai, is the fifth brown panda found in China since 1985.

Qi Zai was initially² discovered by researchers in the Qinling Mountains as a 2-month-old cub³ after its mother left and vanished in the forest.

The researchers then took it to a nearby animal rescue and breeding research center in the Qinling Mountains.

Scientists haven't found the exact reason for the color change to the panda's fur, but some scholars think it might have something to do with a genetic⁴ mutation⁵.

一提到大熊猫，你可能会认为它们是完全的黑白分明。但看看七仔，一只极其罕见的棕白色大熊猫，它彩色的外观让科学家们丈二金刚摸不着脑袋。虽然在可爱方面七仔与族群中其他大熊猫完全一样，但由于棕白色大熊猫自1985年至今只发现过5次，因而它的身份相当独特。

虽然在可爱方面七仔与族群中其他大熊猫完全一样，但由于棕白色大熊猫自1985年至今只发现过5次，因而它的身份相当独特。

现今已经5岁的七仔，在中国秦岭被科研人员发现时只是一只虚弱的2个月大宝宝。而它的母亲貌似已经消失在丛林之中了。

出于对它的安全考虑，科研人员把七仔带到附近的陕西稀有动物救助繁殖研究中心。在那里七仔得到药物治疗，并被喂以基地人员从其他大熊猫身上采集保存下来的熊猫奶。