A giant step for pandas in captivity?

agldacheng

WOLONG, Sichuan Province: Xiang Xiang, a four-year-old giant panda born in captivity, took a historic step when he walked into the wild in Wolong, a traditional habitat for the endangered species in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

He became the first-ever human-raised giant panda to be released into the wild, and had to undergo three years of survival training. He will be monitored through a global positioning device attached to a collar.

Facing his new world, the panda hesitated for a second on Friday then wandered into bamboo groves 10 metres away.

Xiang Xiang, which means \"auspicious,\" weighs 83 kilograms and is 1.1 metres long.

Watching him leave, Liu Bin, who helped look after him for three years, turned away with tears in his eyes.

\"Xiang Xiang is like my child who has grown up and left the family to live independently,\" said Liu. \"I hate to part with Xiang Xiang, but I hope he can survive on his own without forgetting me.\"

Xiang Xiang eats 8 kilograms of bamboo shoots a day as well as such things as corn buns and milk, according to Liu.

Born into the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Wolong in 2001, Xiang Xiang was selected from more than 100 giant pandas bred in captivity for natural habitat training, mostly because he was strong and healthy, said experts.

He learned how to build a den, forage for food and mark his territory, and developed defensive skills by howling and biting, said Zhang Hemin, head of the panda research centre.

Zhang said they chose to release Xiang Xiang now because in late April his favourite food, bamboo shoots, are sprouting.

Xiang Xiang faces many challenges, one of which is parasitic infection, said Zhou Xiaoping, deputy chief engineer at the centre.

\"arasites can be fatal for a giant panda,\" Zhou said. \"The bamboo shoots they eat in captivity are disinfected and scientists regularly check pandas for parasites.\"

There are more than 180 giant pandas living in captivity, and 1,590 in the wild, mostly in Sichuan.

Xiang Xiang's liberation marks a significant change in saving the endangered species, with the move to training them to live in the wild, said Zhao Xuemin, deputy head of the State Forestry Administration.

Chinese scientists had previously given priority to artificial-breeding and protection, Zhao said.

Plans are afoot to release other endangered species into the wild such as Chinese alligators, wild horses and red ibis (a kind of bird).