The Experts All Over the World Come Together for Conservation
of Giant Panda (Nov 7th, 2003)
http://www.panda.org.cn/english/news/n39.htm
Nov 1st, 2003, the Chinese Committee of Breeding Techniques for
Giant Pandas Annual Conference, 2003 was convened in Jinghu Hotel
of Southwest Jiaotong University. During the three-day conference,
conservation units of the United States, Hong Kong, Chengdu,
Wolong, Beijing, Sh?nxi, Chongqing and Shanghai as well as more
than 50 experts and officials from national or international
conservation institutions such as IUCN/SSC/CBSG, WWF, Ministry
of Forestry, Ministry of Construction, Chinese Wildlife Conservation
Association, and Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens all
met together there. For a lot of hotspots were highlighted in
the conference, the conference concentrated and carried through
a lively discussion on the im****tant affairs of giant panda
conservation in the past one year and the plan for the coming year.
Mr. Zhangzhihe, who was newly elected director of Chinese Committee
of Breeding Techniques for Giant Pandas, introduced that there were
totally 19 cubs of 14 litters born in the world this year, of which
16 cubs survived (with another two of stillbirth), the average
birthrate of panda cubs is 48%, and the survive rate is 84% that
made Year 2003 a year of great achievements. However, real pleasure
lies in the actual achievements in domestic or international giant
panda collaborative breeding programs, owing to the promotion and
coordination of relevant organizations and the panda conferences
in recent years. Among such collaborative breeding programs, the
collaboration between Chengdu and Shaanxi Province has achieved
the zero breakthrough in its giant panda breeding; Wolong has
collaborated with the San Diego Zoo and a cub was born ,as well
as, a twins were born in Japan in collaboration with Chengdu.
The global success of giant panda breeding marks that the
collaborative and relocation breeding of giant panda has entered
a new stage of stable development
It is re****ted that, the two scientific research fruits of
provincial award, namely "Research on Enhancing the Survival
Rate in Giant Panda Offspring" by Wolong Center and "The Research
on the Artificial Insemination Techniques for Giant Panda in
Captivity" by Chengdu represent the highest level of giant
panda artificial breeding and cub fostering and they are going
to be the hotspots for communication of the experts. The newly
approved "Research on Confection of Giant Panda Feedingstuff"
also arouses wide interests. Otherwise, the relocation of 11
giant pandas to Bifengxia Base of Ya'an as well as the giant
panda releasing-back experiments are both hotspots of the
conference.
Meanwhile, the experts have carried out demonstration for the
collaborative breeding programs between China and the Memphis
Zoo as well as the Atlanta Zoo of the United States, as well
as, provided the *****sment and suggestions for development
of the panda population in captivity in year 2004, in order
to assure the advantageous trend of giant panda conservation
work. In addition, conservation education has been taken into
the agenda of each breeding unit as im****tant social influence
for the public.
|
