China's pandas to get chips
2005-03-20 21:48
Beijing - China will implant microchips in its captive panda population in a bid to improve protection and prevent inbreeding among the endangered species, state media said on Saturday.
Data such as age and pedigree will be stored and used together with the implanted chips in a nationwide operation later this year, Xinhua news agency quoted a state forestry administration official as saying.
The information stored on the chips will improve the managed reproduction programme and help trace the bears once they are returned to the wild, the unnamed official said.
At the end of 2004, China had 163 pandas in captivity and an estimated 1 590 in the wild.
- AFP