Cover Story | 20 Years of Giant Panda Reintroduction Experiments: How Have They Learned to Survive in the Wild? (AI Translation)

封面报道｜大熊猫放归实验20年 它们如何学会野外生存？

The article "Returning to the Forest: The Journey of Rewilding Giant Pandas," published by Wang Shuo in Caixin Weekly, discusses the extensive rewilding efforts made over the past two decades to reintroduce captive-bred giant pandas into the wild. This experimental program aims to train these pandas to survive in their natural habitats and has faced numerous challenges, adjustments, and progress throughout its implementation.

The rewilding project, overseen by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, began officially in 2003. As of 2024, only 12 captive-bred pandas have been successfully reintroduced after undergoing a rigorous "wildness training" program that typically lasts three to seven years. China has also reintroduced other species like Père David's deer, Przewalski's horses, and crested ibis with varying success. However, the rewilding of giant pandas faced early setbacks, such as the death of the first released panda, Xiang Xiang, in 2006, leading to improvements in training methods and site evaluations [para. 2][para. 3].

Between 2012 and 2017, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda released eight pandas into the Liziping area. By the end of 2018, two more were released into Longxi-Hongkou. The effort was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the training has continued [para. 4]. Among 12 reintroduced pandas, 10 have survived, significantly contributing to the rejuvenation of small panda populations in the Xiaoxiangling and Minshan areas. As of 2024, 728 pandas are in captivity, nearly double from 375 in 2013, forming a self-sustaining captive population [para. 9][para. 18].

The Panda Center established four main bases to control the captive breeding and wild training processes, with the primary rewilding facility at Hetaoping Base in Wolong. The population of wild giant pandas, which dwindled to around 1,100 in the 1980s due to habitat loss and bamboo die-offs, has rebounded to 1,864 by the fourth survey from 2011 to 2014, elevating their status from "Endangered" to "Vulnerable" by the IUCN in 2016 [para. 20][para. 24][para. 28][para. 30][para. 31].

Rewilding strategies have evolved, with significant changes like the "mother bear with cub" method. This new approach involves training panda mothers with their cubs from birth, allowing natural learning and reducing human intervention compared to the initial human-supervised trainings. These mother-cub pairs undergo a two-phase training process involving direct exposure to a wild-like environment, learning fundamental survival skills such as finding food and avoiding predators [para. 35][para. 91][para. 32][para. 91].

Releasing pandas requires evaluating potential sites on habitat quality, microbial threats, and local community awareness. For instance, Liziping National Nature Reserve, used for the majority of releases, has been carefully chosen based on these evaluations. The assessments extend to ensuring bamboo availability and monitoring virus threats like canine distemper [para. 10][para. 33][para. 88][para. 90].

Despite successes, the survival of reintroduced pandas poses challenges, requiring long-term tracking and habitat fit. Only nine out of ten pandas continued thriving after their collars fell off. Programs like "wild breeding introduction" have attempted to facilitate genetic diversity by incorporating wild experience into captive populations [para. 113][para. 116][para. 75].

Looking ahead, the Panda Center plans to enhance rewilding efforts by developing infrastructure to accommodate more training pairs and exploring new release strategies, such as local training and local release, to reduce transport stress. Collaboration projects, like the one with Yingjing County, illustrate a shift towards broader application of rewilding techniques [para. 121][para. 122][para. 129][para. 146].

Ultimately, the giant panda rewilding initiative is in the experimental stage, and large-scale implementation hinges on improved infrastructure and detailed habitat studies. The Panda Center continues its dedication to reinforcing both captive and wild populations to secure a future for the species [para. 150][para. 152][para. 154][para. 156][para. 168].