Pandas being treated for 'reverse shiners'

The before and after pictures of giant panda "Qiyi," which is among a group of pandas suffering from mites. [Photo: Weibo]

Normally a black eye is something one would want to get rid of.

However, in the case of a group of giant pandas in Sichuan, the opposite is true.

The trademark black fur around the eyes of a number of pandas at the Giant Panda Breeding Base in Sichuan have been turning white.

Concerns that the pandas may be sick arise after photos of pandas were published online.

The Chengdu panda base says the whitening of the black eye circles is being caused by mites, and the color change from black to white is because of the shedding of fur.

"It's quite warm and moist here in Sichuan. Bacteria can reproduce very quickly due to the weather conditions. So it's easy for pandas to be infected with mites due to their sensitive skin," said a worker at the base.

Currently, less than 10 of the pandas are suffering from the mites.

The panda base has bought medicine from other countries to treat the mites.

The base is also working with experts from Sichuan Agricultural University in the hope of finding an effective way of protecting the pandas from mites.