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Wenchuan Earthquake Information and News for Panda

There are about 1,590 wild pandas living in China, and fortunately no dead body found till now. And about about 154 captive pandas in Chengdu, Bifengxia and Wolong are all safe.

And in Wolong, with total population of more than 6000, about 47 local people injured, and about 40 local people died. Five staffs of panda reserve were dead. Almost all captive panda Enclosures has been destroyed. And 6 of captive pandas were missing when earth quake occurred. But 3 of them were saved by staffs of reserve in time, and till 26th May a panda named Xixi was found on the road. 2 captive pandas are still missing now. 

At the time of earthquake, about 34 foreigners (foreign tourists) in Wolong, all of them safe and brought to Chengdu on both 15 May and 16 May. On 19 May 8 pandas were sent to Chengdu Panda Base. Till 23 May 2008, almost all blocked roads were rebuilt for basic transportation, and 6 pandas were sent to Bifengxia Panda Nature Reserve. About 8 Olympic Pandas has been to Beijing on 24 May by plane from Wolong, and will be seen sooner in Beijing Garden.

Sichuan Earthquake area needs a lot of support for earthquake relief, victims living, housing rebuilding such as tents, foods, water, funds. And Wolong area also needs a lot of supplies for panda's food, captive panda bears enclosure rebuilding etc.

Earthquake relief efforts and giant panda conservation

The earthquake of 12 May took place in the Minshang mountains, which is wild panda habitat. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is working to address the immediate and long-term needs of animals and people living in the affected nature reserves. Thankfully, the animals and staff of the Chengdu Panda Base are safe. But the secondary effects are significant, and will challenge the operation of the Panda Base for some time in the future. We would be immensely grateful for whatever assistance the supporters of giant panda conservation efforts are able to offer.

Your support will benefit the following efforts:

　　1. Rescue and treatment of injured wild pandas. The administrative authorities for Sichuan Province have appointed the Chengdu Panda Base as the organization to handle all wild panda rescues and necessary veterinary care for pandas injured in the earthquake.

　　2. Care of captive giant pandas of the Chengdu Panda Base and of the Wolong Panda Center. The Wolong Center has suffered extensive damage to its infrastructure. While this is under repair, Chengdu Panda Base is assisting in the housing and care of Wolong's pandas. Bamboo and other necessary supplies for the animals have become significantly more expensive due to compromised transportation and personnel in the earthquake area. Due to the sharp drop in tourism to the area, the Chengdu Panda Base is also now working under unanticipated budgetary constraints. Nonetheless, our principle commitment is to the care and safety of giant pandas, and all resources will be prioritized for their needs.

　　3. Rebuilding capacity in the giant panda nature reserves. The infrastructure for giant panda conservation in many of the giant panda reserves has been destroyed. The Chengdu Panda Base enjoys close partnerships with several panda nature reserves in the area, with which we work on research and conservation education projects. Especially the Longxi Hongkou, Bei Shui He, Anzi He and Hei Shui He nature reserves have suffered severe damage. We are assisting government efforts in addressing the immediate needs of the reserve staff and the local people in these areas. Very importantly, we are also committed to the long-term goal of rebuilding capacity of these nature reserves.

　　 4. Assisting local human communities in stewardship of the giant panda nature reserves. Human communities living in and near the nature reserves have suffered severe losses in terms of human life and livelihoods. The security and viability of these local people are critical to the health of the giant panda nature reserves. The Chengdu Panda Base is contributing to the relief effort in these areas now in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. As the long-term needs of the communities are significant, the Chengdu Panda Base will work with the local people to assist their return to independence and stewardship of the natural areas.

Wolong Nature Reserve - China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda at Wolong Reserve

In 1957 the Chinese government decided it was high time to start looking into protecting their revered animal. In 1963 the Chinese government started the first giant panda reserve and since has set aside a total of 10 panda reservations.
 The Wolong (translated as sleepy dragon) Nature Reserve, or sometimes known as "Wolong Giant Panda Reserve," is probably the most important giant panda reserve and at 785 square miles (2,035 sq. km) Wolong Nature Reserve is the largest giant panda reserve in the world. It is situated in the heart of the giant panda range at an elevation of 6,500 feet (1.980 cm).
 The Ministry of Forestry of PRC and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) formulated the long-term Giant Panda Management Plan up until 1989. In the early 1990's it is known that approximately 140 giant pandas populated the reserve. Even though this is a reserve, the poaching and forestry activity continues which results in a steady decline of the giant panda population within the "protective" reserve.
 Today, the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center has been turned into the Giant Panda Breeding Center focusing primarily on continuing studies of artificial breeding in the hopes that they may successfully achieve live births of giant pandas which, after the cub reaches maturity, will be released into the forests. The other primary function of the Reserve is bamboo ecology. Most of the previous research is now being carried out in other giant panda reserves such as the one in Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province.
 The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center basically takes care of giant pandas under three situations:
 1. When giant pandas are brought up from captive breeding,
 2. When giant pandas are somehow separated or are rescued from injury, and have lost the ability to survive if released back to the wild.
 3. When a giant panda is ready to be released back into the wild from other reserves.