Least contact is best for panda release training
Print Edition
More research on the release of captive-bred pandas into the wild is needed as artificial intervention is hindering their chances of survival.
Zhang Hemin, director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, said it is a good time to train and release pandas into the wild as the number of captive-bred pandas has been increasing at a stable rate.
A total of 49 panda cubs were born in China this year, with 42 surviving, a record for giant panda breeding in the country, said Zhang.
But only when there is a stable growth trend of the wild panda population will the rare species no longer be endangered, Zhang said.
China started releasing captive-bred pandas into the wild in 2006 when five-year-old male panda Xiang Xiang was released.
However, Xiang Xiang died after fighting with other pandas over food and territory a year after being introduced to the wild.
The failure can be attributed to too much intervention when he was being trained, said Huang Yan, deputy chief engineer of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
Scientists and other experts have drawn lessons from the failure and improved training to help pandas adapt to the wild better, Huang said.
In June 2010, experts adopted small-scale training programs for pandas before releasing them to their natural habitat.
The training program focuses on encouraging panda cubs to learn survival skills from their mothers, including climbing trees, searching for food and finding shelter.
Tao Tao, a male panda, was successfully released in Liziping nature reserve, Sichuan Province, in October 2012.
He grew up in semi-wild conditions. Therefore, his survival skills were significantly better than Xiang Xiang’s, said Zhang Hemin.
Tao Tao was living well in the wild at the beginning of 2013, as photographs showed that he was in good condition.
This month, experts released the first captive-bred female giant panda Zhang Xiang into the wild in Liziping nature reserve.
Huang Yan said Zhang Xiang had shared similar experiences to Tao Tao during her pre-release training period.
They could climb trees within five months and search for food with their mothers when 14 months old, said Huang.
To minimize human contact, researchers wear panda costumes and keep quiet when close to them, Huang said.
Giant pandas are one of the world’s most endangered species. About 1,600 live in the wild, mostly in Sichuan, while some 300 live in captivity.
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