Backgrounder: Four things about rewilding pandas

Nothing makes panda fans more cheerful than hearing that China is breeding healthier pandas through its captive breeding program. The number of captive pandas increased to more than 400 in 2016.

This number is way above the goal of 300 set in 1997, which experts believe is the minimum number to sustain a breeding program for the next 100 years, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP).

Raising the number of pandas in captivity is one thing, but ensuring the species' survival in nature is quite another. Chinese scientists have put much effort into rewilding them since 2001. But people often ask why this is such a priority given that they thrive in captivity? This Q&A will tell you more.

Q: If putting pandas back to the wild is the ultimate goal, then why breed them in captivity first?

A: The human exploitation of wild land and the reduction of bamboo shoots have spoiled pandas' natural habitat, thus putting them at the brink of extinction since 1990.

If conditions get much worse, this adorable species would not survive to roam free in the wild any longer.

Captive-breeding programs play a great role in raising the number of pandas, at least in zoos and conservation bases.

But it means little to the Giant Panda if it is just a relic behind bars. The goal of captive-breeding programs is to eventually reintroduce the animals back into China's bamboo forests.

"Pandas are not pets. Now we have succeeded in keeping them alive. We should be ready to put them back in the wild," said Zhang Hemin, a renowned panda expert who helped pioneer artificial insemination in Giant Pandas.

Q: Is rewilding pandas actually helping the Giant Panda?

A: Yes, of course. In September, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said that the panda was now classified as "vulnerable" instead of "endangered," reflecting growing numbers in the wild in southern China.

Yet it is too early to downgrade the panda's conservation status. The wild panda population is broken up into 33 isolated groups, some with fewer than 10 pandas, severely limiting the gene pool. Of the 18 sub-populations consisting of fewer than 10 pandas, all face a high risk of collapse, according to Zhang Hemin.

With the assistance from experts abroad, China has made the species one of the most genetically diverse animals in the world.

"Wild training" of captive-bred pandas is bound to enrich the genetic diversity of the panda population to maintain a healthy and sustainable population, Zhang said.

Q: How to train pandas for the wild?

A: CCRCGP has drawn up a pre-release training program for both mothers and cubs that lasts for more than two years. Two or three captive-bred cubs join the program each year.

Hua Yan, a three-year-old female has almost gone through the full training program from learning to walk, climbing trees and foraging for food, to escaping the dangers of mud flows and rock falls and surviving harsh weather conditions.

In stage two of her training in 2016, Hua Yan was taken from her mother to live alone in a mountainside enclosure, where staff played recordings of the roars of tigers and bears.

"She showed high vigilance and immediately tried to hide," said Wu Daifu, an expert on panda behavior.

Human contact was also minimized. During their inevitable encounters, such as routine physical checks, keepers wore panda costumes soaked with panda odor and dung. They also kept quiet in close contact.

"It's sad but true that the biggest enemy of pandas is us. We don't want them to get too familiarized with humans," Wu said. "On the contrary, we want her to fear humans and run away from them."

Q: Are there other conservation methods, besides rewilding the species?

A: In 2006, five-year-old male Xiangxiang became China's first captive-bred panda released into the wild, but was found dead a year later after fighting with wild pandas over food and territory.

It was sad news, but it was a known risk of rewilding.

China has increased the number of its panda reserves to 67 over the last four decades, yet adequate habitat for releasing the bears is still a key concern as much of its habitat is fragmented.

Without a secure and intact habitat, there is no way to reintroduce these animals back into the wild, thus making the captive breeding portion of conservation efforts pointless.

China is planning on building a national park across three provinces this year, removing restraints set by roads, farms, and other human construction, so that wild pandas can roam freely in their natural habitat and let their numbers increase naturally.

Rome was not built in a day, and building a national park takes time, resources and agreement from different parties. But it is worth trying so that pandas can reproduce in the wild. Endi