Using New Scientific Techniques to Help Save the Giant Panda
China’s giant panda has become a modern symbol of the country. It has commercial value and is used as a tool for international relationship-building and influence. Today’s best estimate is that there are some 1,600 giant pandas in the wild. Another 266 are held in captivity, about 10% in overseas zoos on a ten-year lease from the Chinese Government.
The species cannot survive without human help. Conservation efforts focus on the programmes at three national panda breeding centres in China. These facilities also serve as educational tourist attractions where visitors from around the world can experience the panda as close as possible to its natural habitat, and learn about efforts to save it.
National Panda Survey Begins in 2011
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake caused considerable c...