CHINA: China has introduced the first captive-bred giant panda into the wild after implanting it with a global positioning system (GPS) device, the official Xinhua agency reported yesterday.
The release of the panda came after almost three years of training the animal at a research institute in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
Scientists spent four hours hunting down Xiang Xiang, the four-year-old male panda, in his huge 20,000sq m (215,000sq ft) open-air enclosure. Following tests, he was declared fit for release.
The panda is very tough, healthy and has learnt how to build shelters, forage for food, mark his territory and ward off aggressors, Zhang Hemin, director of the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre, said.
The panda's release coincides with the high season for bamboo shoots, which will make it easier for the bear to feed, he added.
Found only in China, the giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species. An estimated 1,000 pandas live in China's Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Dermott O'Gorman, country representative for the World Wildlife Fund, was guarded about Xiang Xiang's prospects. "It's certainly a significant event, but once it's in the wild, it's going to have deal with all the problems that wild pandas have to deal with."
China has raised 103 giant pandas in captive breeding and spent $12.5 million (€10 million) training pandas for release into the wild since 2003, according to Xinhua. But training pandas is not the solution, said Mr O'Gorman. "Captive breeding can be quite expensive and there are many risks. What is needed is a comprehensive programme implemented by the government and local people that protects nature reserves, green corridors and ensures that panda habitats and local people can co-exist."