One of the three previously-reported missing pandas from Wolong breeding center in southwestern Sichuan Province has returned safely and two others remain missing.

Staff members with the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center, where more than 60 pandas were raised, are searching for the two missing pandas, Xiong Beirong, an official with the provincial forestry bureau told Xinhua.

Xiong said the two missing were "very likely to be alive" though aftershocks could almost be felt every few hours in the mountainous area, which is about 30 kilometers from the epicenter of the 8-magnitude quake.

"Both pandas were adults and they are more capable to escape from dangers than younger ones," she said. "We hope the two missing pandas are as lucky as their peers."

Two pandas were injured in their collapsed dormitories in the quake. Six others disappeared from the Wolong center after the quake, but four of them have come back safely over the past few days.

The quake killed five staff in the Wolong center and left all the panda houses severely damaged. Of the total 32 panda houses, 14 were destroyed and the others were severely damaged.

The other pandas raised in the center, including 14 cubs born last year, were safe, said Xiong.

Local government has sent bamboo, apples, and veterinary medicine for the pandas, as well as food and the tents urgently needed by the staff of the center.

There are about 1,590 pandas living in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and the northwestern province of Shaanxi. Another 180 have been bred in captivity.

More than 60 pandas at another breeding center in Chengdu were reported safe after the quake. Another eight pandas at a preserve in Ya'an, about an hour's drive west of Chengdu, were reported safe as well.

The Wolong center is deep in the hills north of Chengdu along a winding, two-lane road that has been partially blocked by landslides.

Xiong called for panda lovers and volunteers to postpone their plans to visit Wolong recently as the food supply there was very limited.

"We appreciate their help, but there are more than 6,000 people, including villagers, tourists, rescuers and Wolong staff workers, are in Wolong and the food and water are limited," said Xiong.

The quake, centered on Wenchuan County in northeastern part of Sichuan, affected many parts of the country. More than 34,000 people were confirmed dead nationwide as of Monday noon, while the final death toll is expected to exceed 50,000.

(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2008)