With the recent May 12 earthquake that shattered SW China, all of the panda reserve centers are working day and night to ensure the long-term safety of their pandas. The China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center at Wolong, was a mere 12 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake and is continuing to feel aftershocks. With most all of its structures severely damaged, they have had to move many of their pandas to other locations, that can better provide shelter and food for these gentle giants. Chengdu and Bifenxia bases are assisting in different ways.
The first to be rescued were the one year olds. Although I always thought the cubbies were inside the Wolong center,according to Karen Rose, Chair of Pandas International: "The cubs are in a park in front of the Administration building inside the town of Wolong. They are not at the reserve. They were carried across the river further away from the rockslides to a safer location. Here the staff are
better able to care for them and provide them with the regular feedings that these young cubs will need since they had not too long ago been weaned from their mothers.
A group of eight pandas were escorted and moved to Chengdu to await a flight to Beijing. These two year olds, had been selected earlier in the year by the netizens to go to Beijing Zoo for the duration of the Olympics. This trip was in the works at the time along with parade and great fanfare was to accompany them, but was canceled due to the devastation. They arrived safely at their new enclosures at the Beijing Zoo, Saturday, the 24th. All were accompanied by their long-time keepers, veterinarians and other staff, who will stay with them.
Besides the structures that housed the pandas and staff being destroyed, food supplies are scarce. Much of the favored bamboo that the pandas eat the most of, was harvested daily from the countryside. Many families who helped in harvesting the bamboo are having their own difficulties after the earthquake and much of the area where the bamboo grows is inaccessible. Six other pandas were transported by truck to the Bifenxia Base in Ya'an.
The Sichaun provincial forestry bureau, has reported that two pandas were injured and six disappeared after the earthquake out of the 86 that were at Wolong. Four of the lost pandas did find their way back to the base, shortly after. One of the pandas, XiXi, was just spotted along the riverside, by road crews working to repair the roadway. A crane was dispatched to help lower Wolong staff down into the river to rescue the panda, but was unable to reach far enough across the river to set them down safely. They say he looked fine, and will continue to find a way to rescue him. That leaves only one that is still unaccounted for.
As for the wild pandas, it is too early to surmise how they made out. An interesting note concerning the wild pandas. Unlike previous years, the Michigan State University was unsuccessful in being able to trap any wild pandas this year to place radio collars on them for research in tracking the pandas. Could it be that they moved out of this area because they had a sense of danger?
