A captive raised Chinese giant panda may be returned to the wild on Friday by a research center.

 

Xiang Xiang, a four-year-old male raised in Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, would be the pioneer for more than 180 captive-bred pandas around the world, said Zhang Hemin, the center's head.

 

The release was important for the protection of the endangered species as Xiang Xiang's experience would help scientists study how artificially-raised pandas adapt to the wild, said Zhang.

 

He said the center, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, would use a global positioning system device to track Xiang Xiang.

 

Most captive giant pandas are artificially bred and scientists have found their natural instincts much diminished with some unwilling to mate. Only 24 percent of females in captivity have bred which poses a serious threat to repopulation.

 

Xiang Xiang, which means "auspicious", was born in August 2001. He was selected for natural habitat training at the age of two. Training began in a 20,000 square meter open air training center and was later transferred to a home 10 times larger which simulated his natural habitat, said Zhang.

 

With nearly three years' training Xiang Xiang has learned how to build a den, forage for food and mark his territory. He has also developed defensive skills such as howling and biting which is similar to his relatives in the wild, said Zhang.

 

In March, giant panda experts from the State Forestry Administration (SFA) and the Wolong center agreed that Xiang Xiang was ready for freedom. He is being released at the height of the growing season for bamboo shoots which will make it easier to find food, said Zhang.

 

China started a giant panda training project in 2003 to teach the animals to live in the wild before releasing them. The Wolong center is responsible for implementing the project at an estimated cost of 100 million yuan (US$12.5 million).

 

Co-sponsored by the Chinese government and the World Wide Fund for Nature the center was established in 1980 in Wolong Nature Reserve. It has bred 57 cubs since 1991 with 45 surviving.

 

Giant pandas are the world's most endangered species. Over 180 live in captivity and 1,590 in the wild mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, studies by the SFA show.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2006)