A research group has begun analyzing the air in Wolong, a giant panda habitat
in China, to try and duplicate it in zoos, officials with the Wolong Giant Panda
Research Center said on Thursday.
Male giant panda Ping Ping and
female panda Qing Qing mate in a wildlife center in Shaanxi Province in
this April 2004 file photo. [newsphoto] |
The
scientists will try to develop an air conditioning system that will produce air
similar to that in Wolong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, deputy director
of the center Wang Yanbin said.
They will analyze temperature, humidity and airflow and conduct simulated
tests to develop the system, Wang added.
Scientists from household appliances giant Sichuan Changhong Electric Company
Limited were invited by the center, which has longed for an ideal air
conditioning system for giant pandas in captivity outside Wolong.
The center hopes that the system will be developed before the giant panda
couple Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan leave for Taiwan, though the date remains a
question as Taiwan authorities are still playing the admission of the giant
pandas as a political card.
The couple are intended as goodwill gifts from people on the Chinese mainland
to Taiwan compatriots. They were selected from 23 candidates and named by public
votes.
With a semitropical maritime climate, Taiwan would not be a comfortable place
for giant pandas without air conditioning.
The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is found
only in China. It is estimated that 1,590 giant pandas live in the wild in
China. Those in captivity totaled 183 on the mainland at the end of last
year.