Society

Starving pandas rescued from woods, recovering

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-03 15:49

CHENGDU - Two giant pandas that were dying from hunger in the wild mountains of southwest China's Sichuan province are recuperating well thanks to timely rescues by researchers from a local panda research institution.

One panda was spotted on April 23 by villagers in Songpan county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, said a spokesman with China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Wolong.

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Vets from the center immediately came to its rescue, and found that the panda was skinny and in poor condition, he said.

The panda was sent to Wolong's breeding base at the Bifeng Gorge in the city of Ya'an for treatment the next day. Panda keepers named it Song Ya, which means "elegant pine tree."

The spokesman said Song Ya is now in stable condition but still needs intensive care and medical observation.

About two weeks before Song Ya was spotted, panda researchers saved another wild panda in Aba's town of Wolong. Yu Shi, or "rain poetry," was found on April 11 and has been under intensive care at Bifeng Gorge ever since.

Yu Shi is recuperating well and the animal's appetite has improved greatly, the spokesman said.

Wolong Nature Reserve, a 200,000 hectare-area in mountains of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, is China's largest and oldest national nature reserve. It is home to about 60 percent of the world's total panda population.

Statistics from the State Forestry Administration show that about 1,600 pandas live in the wild, while about 300 are held in captivity at zoos worldwide.