The Chinese government would strictly control the number of giant pandas used for overseas studies, and prohibit any wild pandas being used for such purposes, a forestry official said in Beijing Thursday.  

Zhuo Rongsheng, a department director with the State Forestry Administration (SFA), said, "Though many foreign zoos and animal research centers request to lease giant pandas from China, the government always takes a careful attitude toward it."

He said China had only provided 17 giant pandas for international scientific research; plus their descendants, there were a total 23 pandas abroad today.

An animal that has existed since dinosaur times, the giant panda was not only the national treasure of China, but also enjoyed a fine reputation in foreign countries, said Zhuo.

China sent 24 pandas to nine countries including the Soviet Union, the USA and Spain from 1957 to 1982 as friendship envoys.

However, since 1985 China had stopped presenting giant pandas to any other country, said the official, and pandas would go abroad only through a lease contract. Apart from that, all their descendants would belong to China.

A survey by SFA indicated that China's giant pandas in the wild had increased from some 1,110 in the 1980s to today's about 1,590. In addition, 161 pandas were artificially raised.

Yan Xun, an official with SFA, said that though China had made achievements in the artificial breeding of giant pandas, there were few which were ready to give birth.

Many of them were set to be shown at zoos in China and a good proportion of domestic pandas were planned to be released into nature reserves.

Thus the number of pandas for overseas studies proved limited, said Yan, and that was why China would strictly control overseas giant pandas.

"We think the control is necessary," he said, "because it will be conducive to increase their numbers and ensure their genetic stability."

China has extended wide cooperation with many countries and areas on the research of giant panda breeding. By the end of 2001, 32 zoos, preserves and habitats in six countries or regions had raised the lovely animals, said the official.