Wild giant panda spotted in SW China

A wild giant panda has been captured on video for the first time in Dawei township administered by the city of Emeishan, Southwest China's Sichuan province, highlighting the area's potential as a suitable habitat for this vulnerable species.

The video, recorded in August 2025, shows an adult giant panda in robust health walking steadily through the wild. Zhang Guiquan, a senior engineer at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, confirmed that the individual is a wild adult male, around 10 years old.

Though not part of a national park or nature reserve -- the area is remote with minimal human disturbance and features abundant bamboo species, providing ample food sources.

"Local villagers have reported multiple panda droppings in recent years, and analysis of fresh samples indicated that this is a wild individual, not from captive release programs," researchers said.

Local forestry authorities have pledged to enhance protection and patrol efforts -- while researchers plan to expand monitoring to support ongoing ecological restoration of panda habitats.