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Pandas Prepare for Risky Duty

Chinese scientists will set 4 free, but they must learn to defend themselves

By Michael O'Connor,  Newser User

Posted Dec 16, 2007 6:45 AM CST
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(Newser) – Four panda bears bred in captivity in China will soon be set free in a bid to save their species from extinction. But first, they've got to toughen up. Scientists at the nation's biggest panda breeding center are preparing to release two males and two females into the wild, and they're trying to give the bears street smarts of a sort—how to sense danger and fend off attacks, the Times reports.

The scientists say they've learned a lesson from last year, when they set a male free only to have him killed by his wild cousins when he encroached on their territory. The experiment is risky, but scientists say they need to expand the gene pool of the 1,600 or so pandas in the wild if the species is to survive.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, panda Zhuzhu eats its specially made birthday cake in the Wild Zoo in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007. It was the 16th birthday for Zhuzhu on Thursday. Zhuzhu was born in the Panda Propagation Research...
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, panda "Zhuzhu" eats its specially made birthday "cake" in the Wild Zoo in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Chinas scientists are preparing to release four pandas into the wild in a bid to help the species survive. But the four pandas will have to learn to defend themselves if they hope to survive.
Chinas scientists are preparing to release four pandas into the wild in a bid to help the species survive. But the four pandas will have to learn to defend themselves if they hope to survive.   (Associated Press)
Giant pandas play in a tree at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection Center in Wolong of China's Sichuan province in this 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/Color China Photo, File)
Giant pandas play in a tree at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection Center in Wolong of China's Sichuan province in this 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/Color China Photo, File)   (Associated Press)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, two giant pandas enjoy a moment together at the China Panda Protection and Research Center in Wolong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Wednesday, April 25, 2007. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Xie)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, two giant pandas enjoy a moment together at the China Panda Protection and Research Center in Wolong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Wednesday,...   (Associated Press)
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