Working hard to reintroduce Pandas into the wild
For some, we have all become accustomed to seeing giant pandas in zoos and enjoyed visiting and learning all about them.
But long term plans for giant pandas survival means finding ways to reintroduce them back into their wild habitat so that the pandas can fulfill a future of self reliance for themselves.
In the case of the giant panda, specialist around the world have joined the scientist in China to prevent the extinction of the giant panda.
But it is the work in the field, that amazes me.
If you are familiar with the story of Diane Fossey and the movie that was made from her book 'Gorillas in the Mist' (if you haven't seen this movie, check it out!) you soon realize the kind of work and commitment it takes to do this.
Many of life's luxuries are non existent in field work of this kind.
Living in the mountains, they deal with isolation, a challenging terrain, unpredictable weather and anything else that nature might want to throw at them. Even communications is difficult at times.
As you will see in the article I have posted below, even with all of the support and work they put forward, they still need the help of the animals themselves in order for the program to be successful.
If you ever have the chance to visit a panda base in the mountains of China, be sure to thank all of the people who work there.
They are the unsung heroes who sacrifice a great deal in order contribute in some way to support this effort.
Panda boot camp gives cubs survival skills
Death of male cub led experts to come up with training for little ones
By Jeanna Bryner updated 1/18/2013 9:04:44 PM ET Panda cubs have the cuteness thing down pat, but rough-and-tumble? Not so much. Now scientists are hoping to teach the roly-poly bears survival skills they'll need for living in the wild. The new mission is partly the result of a panda cub being released into the wild without the proper training. Xiang Xiang, a male cub, was released into Wolong Nature Reserve, located high in the mountains of western China's Sichuan Province, in April 2006. Unfortunately, Xiang Xiang wasn't prepared for the harsh reality of the wild. After less than a year of wandering the mountains, the cub was killed by neighboring males during turf wars.
Hemin Zhang, director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, and his colleagues realized after Xiang Xiang's death that panda upbringing is critical.
And the best time to teach
"Our people cannot teach a panda to live in the wild," Zhang said in a statement. "Now we leave the teaching
The momma panda and the humans who monitor
The scarcity of human exposure keeps the pandas fearful of humans, a caution that will help the cubs survive in the wild, Zhang said.
In addition, cubs are kept on their tiptoes by reminders of predators, which come in the form of recordings of vocalizations and scat spread around the enclosure from clouded leopards and other hungry threats. The reserve is also home to some non-threatening species, such as pheasants, sheep and pigs.
So far, the scientists say, Tao Tao is doing fine, though they warn that the real test will come in the spring, or mating season. During this season of love, Zhang said, competition between males can turn lethal.
中国新闻2012-07-04 福州：大熊猫防暑降温各有妙招
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