Chongqing - A charming national treasure, giant pandas, are deeply loved by many worldwide. In the past decade, artificial breeding and other technologies for giant pandas have developed rapidly. The number of captive giant pandas worldwide has reached 673, nearly double that of a decade ago, according to Duan Zhaogang, director of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda.

The breeder is feeding the giant panda a nutritious breakfast. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Duan Zhaogang revealed that the wild population of giant pandas in China has increased from 1114 in the 1980s to 1864, and the protected habitat area has increased significantly. At the same time, efforts were made to tackle critical problems in the population breeding of captive giant pandas, and the quantity and quality of captive-bred giant pandas achieved rapid development.

The Chongqing Zoo began breeding giant pandas in the 1960s and breeding its cubs in the 1980s. So far, there are 21 giant pandas in Chongqing Zoo.

A cute panda in Chongqing Zoo. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

During the past National Day, the panda family in Chongqing Zas added new members. On the morning of October 1, the twins born by the giant panda "Ershun" officially met with tourists. "Ershun" once lived at Toronto Zoo and Calgary Zoo in Canada as an envoy of friendship and returned to China at the end of November 2020. It is the first time Ershun has given birth since returning to China, and also the first successful breeding of twins for giant pandas returned from overseas in Chongqing Zoo.

The panda twins were born by the giant panda "Ershun." (Photo provided to iChongqing)

As the national team of giant panda conservation and research, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda has taken the lead in formulating technical standards for the artificial insemination of giant pandas and carrying out "love feeding" based on overcoming the problems of artificial breeding of giant pandas. On this basis, the center has set up the world's most extensive international and domestic cooperation and exchange platform for giant pandas, increasing the number of countries and regions with international cooperation to 16 and helping overseas giant pandas to breed and survive 21 giant panda cubs. "Behind the development of giant panda protection is the progress of environmental protection concept and the continuous improvement of science and technology," said Duan Zhaogang.

Over the past decade, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda has developed techniques for training, releasing, and monitoring giant pandas in the wild. A total of 10 artificially bred giant pandas have been released into the wild, and nine have survived, laying a solid foundation for the survival of artificially bred giant pandas in their natural habitats and the rehabilitation of small endangered populations in the wild.

To preserve the genetic resources of a small population and enrich the technology of wild release, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda has released six wild rescue and artificial breeding female giant pandas into the wild. So far, ten pandas have been successfully bred, and eight survive.

The Chongqing Zoo celebrated the birthday of 6 giant pandas born in June. (Photo provided to iChongqing)

Duan Zhaogang said that the center would develop the Giant Panda National Park and strengthen basic research in the future. It will also use the critical technologies of wild reintroduction and wild introduction to promote the integrated development of ex-situ and in-situ conservation of giant pandas. The center will deepen cooperation, exchanges, cultural education, and promotion of giant pandas and strive to make giant panda conservation a calling card of China for biodiversity conservation in the new era.

(Chen Qian, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)