China to build panda hospital
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A specialized center financed by Hong Kong government broke ground for construction in China's Sichuan province Wednesday, aiming for giant panda's rescue and disease prevention.
![Giant pandas play at the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries [File photo]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110505/0014222d98500f2c3bd602.jpg "Giant pandas play at the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries [File photo]") |
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Giant pandas play at the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries [File photo] |
Located at Shiqiao village of Qingchengshan township, Dujiangyan, the hospital will be the world's only center for disease prevention and control for giant pandas once being completed, according to Zhang Hemin, chief of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
Apart from undertaking the mission of rescuing giant pandas living the wild and carrying out research on disease prevention and control for the endangered species, the facility will also provide a comfortable residence for the aged ones, said Zhang.
Chinese experts have seen remarkable achievements in breeding giant pandas over the past 20 years and the number of giant pandas has reached 315 in China.
Experts say that research on infectious diseases remains weak, though risks of such diseases have been increasing.
"The facility will not only separate pandas' breeding and disease treatment, but also prevent cross infections of pandas and human beings, because we sometimes have to take them to human hospitals for treatment," said Zhang, who is also head of the administration for Wolong Nature Reserve (WNR).
The specialized center will cover an area of about 51 hectares and will cost 210 million yuan ($32.3 million) to finish, including 130 million yuan provided by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regional Government.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. It will be able to accommodate 40 pandas upon completion.
Wang Pengyan, executive deputy chief of WNR administration, said special facilities and researchers were needed to establish panda disease monitoring and prevention systems.
Wang said the center is located near WNR and the provincial capital of Chengdu, and it will be convenient to utilize rich medical sources in Chengdu and gather special experts for emergency cases.
Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered species. Statistics from the State Forestry Administration show that about 1,600 pandas live in the wild, while another 300 live in captivity in zoos around the world.
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