The purpose of these research bases, also called the transfer
protection of the giant pandas, is to enlarge the captive breeding
population by the study of artificial panda breeding and upgrading
the management of their nurture. The artificially bred pandas will
return to nature finally to complement and expand the wild
population. Therefore, the bases are supporting, supplementing and
promoting the giant panda's habitat protection project.
China has two major panda research stations, as well as important
research program at the Beijing Zoo and academic institutions.
Perhaps the most famous research base is the China Research and
Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, lying in the
Wolong Nature Reserve and under the jurisdiction of the State
Forestry Administration. Established in the early 1980s, the center
has made tremendous progress in captive breeding techniques. There
are more than 40 pandas in captivity in the center, accounting for
30 percent of the total amount of captive pandas in the world. The
center has artificially bred 31 fetuses, with 50 babies produced,
of which 37 survived. Among them, six fetuses, totaling 12 babies
were born in 2000, and 11 survived.
Most of the giant pandas in the center in Wolong stay individually
in cages, which are in fact large enclosures, each consisting of an
in-door room and an out-door courtyard. Those giant pandas about to
be released back to the wild will be put in semi-nature enclosures
for a long enough period for them to adapt to the natural
environment. The semi-nature enclosures are very large wild areas,
but protected by border fences. Although food has to be provided,
the giant pandas will sleep there, eat there and recover their
natural survival skills until they can be released back to the
wild.
Another major panda research base is the Chengdu Giant Panda
Research Base, which operates under the authority of the
Ministry of Construction. The base has many kinds of enclosures
simulating the wild natural environment for the adult giant panda,
sub-adult giant panda, baby giant panda and lesser panda and other
animals respectively. Up to 2000, the base has artificially bred 40
fetuses, totaling 61 babies, of which 32 survived. In 1995, the
base was honored by the United Nations Environment Development
Organization in its list of "Global Top 500."