Leisurely roaming through the jungle, standing up and stretching herself from time to time, the cute fluffy panda Xiaohetao is independent enough to live alone in the wild.

 

 

For many years, Zhu Dahai, senior engineer at the Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and his colleagues have been committed to protecting wild giant pandas.

 

At the end of 2018, two female giant pandas, Qinxin and Xiaohetao, were released into the wild after being trained in basic survival skills. By analyzing the data transmitted from the collars on their necks, the researchers tracked and monitored them and conducted researches to understand how they gradually adapted to the wild and integrated into the wild giant panda population. Over time, in order not to affect the growth of the giant pandas, the collars automatically untied after 18 months, and the researchers lost contact with the giant pandas Qinxin and Xiaohetao.

 

 

"In order to find Qinxin and Xiaohetao, we have been carrying out field patrol and other methods to know their current situation by comparing DNA from the giant panda feces," Zhu Dahai introduced. He said that releasing artificially-bred giant pandas into the wild helps reduce the extinction risk of the species and restore its wild population.

 

At present, nine giant pandas have been successfully released by China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda and surviving in nature.