Xiang Xiang, a Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), born in captivity 5 years ago at the Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Centre, and released last April, was found dead in February. The post-mortem exam found bite wounds and fractured ribs, suggesting that the bear fell from a height, probably escaping from other pandas. But while this first release was not successful in the long term, much information was gained from the attempt. And other releases will take place in the future.
Threats to Giant Pandas
Giant pandas have been listed as Endangered by the IUCN since 1990. With only about 1,000 bears left in the wild and several hundred in captivity, the Chinese government established a research centre at Wolong in the early 80s within the panda’s habitat. In cooperation with World Wide Fund for Animal (WWF) the government established the Giant Panda Management Plan. The first steps were to learn more about the bears in the wild.
With habitat rapidly vanishing and with it the bamboo that makes up the giant panda bear's diet, it was important to determine what was needed for the species to survive. Human activities including forestry and agriculture encroach from the valleys below reducing available space for this very territorial bear. Bears are caught in snares intended for musk deer as well.
The Captive Breeding and Reintroduction Program
Now that there is a good deal of information about the Giant panda in the area, the focus of the Wolong Centre has shifted from research to captive breeding and reintroduction and the centre’s name reflects that change. Injured or orphaned pandas brought to the centre are rehabilitated for release. Non-releasable bears are used in the breeding program and the young are prepared for release to the wild, in a program similar to that used for Indonesia's pygmy kangaroos.
The Future
It is not uncommon for captive breeding programs to face problems during their first few releases. The first California condors released from captive breeding had to be returned to captivity and taught to avoid threats found in the wild. It is possible to base rehabilitation programs on knowledge gained with species that are not endangered. But even then, it is common to find that the animals you are attempting to reintroduce are just that bit different from the common species. The giant panda is different from other bear species so lessons learned from rehabilitation programs for black and brown bears are of limited value. Determining where there is available appropriate territory and finding ways to teach territorial skills are two key issues facing the program now.
The loss of even one panda is a setback for the species but if giant pandas are to survive in the wild in the long term, the risks associated with release have to be taken.
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