The First Return

One or two giant pandas will be released into the wild in a nature reserve in the eastern province of Jiangxi, the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) said on December 5.

This will be the first time a giant panda is released into the wild outside Sichuan Province in the southwest.

Jiangxi Guanshan National Nature Reserve has a mild climate and an intact ecosystem, with abundant bamboo resources and little human interference, which is conducive to giant pandas and other wild animals living and reproducing.

At an expert meeting, researchers with CCRCGP introduced the three candidates’ training for the wild. They are the female Panwang and Ranran and male Yuner, all 2 years old.

Experts came to the conclusion that the pandas are ready for reintroduction and that the reserve meets the requirements for the program.

The giant panda reintroduction program refers to releasing captivebred pandas to their historical distribution areas to live and reproduce in order to rebuild the wild population of the giant panda.

Researchers will be able to obtain important data on the pandas’ adaption to the environment and climate by observing them after they are released.

The program has high research value for studying the reasons why pandas died out in their historical distribution areas and predicting climate change’s influence on the current panda population, according to experts.