China has launched trial operations at a new giant panda base in Mianyang, Sichuan province, in a bid to boost breeding, research and international promotion of the iconic species, China Daily reports. The facility is operated by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP).
Thirteen giant pandas were relocated to the 120 hectare site – the state-funded CCRCGP’s fifth nationwide – on Tuesday. The animals hailed from CCRCGP’s Wolong Shenshuping and Dujiangyan bases.
The Mianyang base is expected to open to the public next year, giving the pandas time to adjust to their new home. It took three years to build.
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Leader of the facility’s preparatory team Huang Zhi said the pandas were “a little tense” but doing well overall. Experienced staff members have been deployed to monitor them as they acclimatise.
According to the fourth national panda survey, finalised in 2015, Mianyang is home to one of China’s largest wild panda populations — or about 22 percent of the country’s total. Back then, 418 individuals were counted.
The CCRCGP has been working to grow panda populations and protect China’s biodiversity since the 1980s, when it had six of the animals in captivity. Today it has more than 380 in its care.
