According to Xinhua News Agency on Saturday, a new giant panda
museum, the biggest of its kind, is being planned to help efforts
to save the endangered animal and its habitat.
The main theme of the 5,000 square meter (53,800 square foot)
museum in Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan,
will be "people, pandas and the harmony of nature."
Designs for the museum from China, the US and France are going
through the final stages of decision making, but there were no
details of costs or a specific completion date.
Early reports said the museum would be part of a 700-800 million
yuan (US$84-96 million) Giant Panda Eco Park and Tourist Area which
is expected to be open to the public by May 2006.
Despite intensive efforts to promote breeding in the notoriously
undersexed animal, there are only about 1,590 of the endangered
species living in the wild, all in China. Another 161 have been
raised in captivity.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2005)