Archeologists have found that pandas were preyed upon and eaten by primitive people about 600,000 years ago, after studying about 30 sites with panda fossils in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Archeologists discovered panda fossils in about 30 places in Guizhou, including seven sites inhabited by primitive people, said Cai Huiyang, a researcher with Guizhou Provincial Museum.

The pandas were never domesticated and their appearance with the primitive people might prove they were preyed upon and eaten, Cai said.

The pandas moved relatively more slowly than other wild animals, though more agile than modern caged ones, so they were more likely to be caught by human beings and other animals, Cai said.

Since the 1960s, archeologists have discovered panda fossils, including four well-reserved ones, at various sites in Guizhou, including Qianxi and Hepan counties, the cities of Bijie and Xingyi.

Having been in existence for about 3 million years, pandas are acclaimed as living fossils in the world and have been among the best recognized and rarest animals in the world.

Statistics from the State Forestry Administration show China has about 1,590 wild pandas, most living in mountainous areas in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. About 160 pandas live in captivity, and 70 percent of them were artificially bred.

Pandas are threatened by loss of habitat, poaching and a low reproduction rate. Females in the wild usually have a cub once every two to three years.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2005)