Panda Colony Discovered in Wilds of China
Zoologists say they have discovered a colony of about 30 giant pandas living in the wilds of northwestern Gansu province, an official newspaper reported Monday.
About 1,000 pandas are believed to remain in China, the endangered species’ only native habitat. They are scattered among natural reserves in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.
Most of Gansu’s giant pandas are found in the Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, in the southern tip of the province. The 30 recently discovered pandas were discovered farther to the northwest, in a forest in Gannan Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, the report in the China Daily said.
A program started in 1993 and partially funded by a group of U.S. zoos is aimed at upgrading the reserves and adding 15 more by 2010.
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