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Panda makes history
28/04/2006 08:08 - (SA)
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| Xiang Xiang spends some time at the Wolong giant panda research centre in China's Sichuan province, before being released into the wild. (Color China Photo, AP) |
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Beijing - Four-year-old Xiang Xiang created history on Friday when he wandered into a south-western Chinese forest, becoming the first artificially raised giant panda to be released into the wild, state press said.
Xiang Xiang, which translates as auspicious, was born and grew up alongside 102 other members of the critically endangered species at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Sichuan province.
After much training to ensure he could survive in the wild, he was released into his natural habitat in the mountainous and forested Wolong area of Sichuan on Friday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.
It was the first time a giant panda born and raised in captivity had been released into the wild, Xinhua said.
"The move marks a significant change in saving the endangered species by training the pandas to live in the wild before releasing them," the report said.
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species, with an estimated 1 590 in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, according to Chinese studies.
Just over 180 more pandas, including those at Wolong, are in research centres in China, with a handful of others sent around the world to zoos.
- AFP
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