Xiang Xiang, the first captive-bred giant panda to be set free into the wild was
found dead on February 19 this year, but www.newssc.org released
the news for the first time on May 31. Zoologists from the Wolong
Giant Panda Research Center in Sichuan Province are convinced that
Xiang Xiang died due to injuries sustained falling from a high
place?while fighting for food with other wild giant
pandas.
Xiang Xiang, male, was born in the Wolong Giant Panda Research
Center on August 25, 2001. He had been taught the skills necessary
for living in his natural habitat for almost three years before
being released to the wild in April 2006. The forest where Xiang
Xiang was set free is located in the core area of the Wolong Nature
Reserve, about ten kilometers away from the giant panda research
center. The scientists fitted Xiang Xiang with a GPS (global
positioning system) device so they could continually track his
movements.
Experts from the center explained that the two main factors that
threaten the survival of wild giant pandas are: "the wildlife
habitat degradation and parasitic infection." According to the
third national wild giant panda investigation conducted between the
year 2000 and 2002, there are four wild giant pandas that lived in
the forest where Xiang Xiang was set free. Experts worried that
Xiang Xiang might have a difficult time dealing with his wild
brethren in their "old haunt".
Captive-bred giant pandas are regularly debugged and the bamboo
that they eat is strictly sterilized, while wild giant pandas are
better used to the wild environment and can better protect
themselves in this regard, experts said.
Statistics from the third national wild giant panda
investigation show that there are 1,596 wild giant pandas in China
mainly distributed in more than 40 nature reserves in Shaanxi, Sichuan and Gansu provinces.
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong, May 31, 2007)
