Another population of giant pandas was found in Lixian County of
southwest China’s
Sichuan Province recently, according to experts from the State
Forestry Administration.
The finding, for the first time in the county, “is of great
significance in interconnecting the isolated nature reserves of
giant pandas,” said panda expert Tang Chunxiang.
Two giant pandas, as well as some droppings, were witnessed by
seven farmers last June in a bamboo forest near Kezeng Village in
the county. They reported the finding to the China Wolong
Giant Panda Protection Research Center in the province.
After testing the droppings, experts in the center confirmed that
it was the dejection of pandas.
“Giant pandas rarely act alone,” said Tang. “So the founded pandas
are at least of a small flock in this area.”
Though located to the north of the Wolong Giant Panda Nature
Reserve, Lixian County was not recognized as one of pandas’ natural
habitats. Three investigations carried out since 1980 all failed to
find the trace of pandas in the county.
There are 1,000 wild giant pandas in the world, mainly distributing
among the mountains around the Sichuan Basin, southwest China. And
the number of distributing regions of giant pandas has plummeted in
the past decade. Now, only 34 counties in China have wild giant
pandas with a total habitat covering 14,000 square km.
However, the existing natural habitats were divided into smaller
areas isolated from each other, resulting in the inbreeding among
the giant pandas.
Experts warned that inbreeding may speed up the extinction of the
giant pandas if the trend continues.
The discovery of giant pandas in Lixian County may further promote
the intercourse between different panda populations, Tang said.
Efforts are being made in Lixian County to demarcate the nature
reserves for the giant pandas.
(Xinhua News
Agency 09/05/2001)