CHINA'S MYSTERY WHITE BEAR

Sometimes the bai-xiong, a species of white bear, has been reported from China.  That it exists is not in doubt.  Some have actually been kept in Chinese zoos.  The term is sometimes used for a giant panda, but the true bai-xiong refers to this white bear.  Its is found in Shennongjiya (Hubei).  It is said that it is neither a polar bear nor an albino.  Just where it fits into the bear family is the mystery.  Apart from being reported in China, it is also to be found in Mongolia.  Is it a subspecies of the brown bear?  The jury is still out on that one.