Si Jia

More than two months after the devastation of the 8.0 magnitude Wenchuan earthquake, the psychological scars of the earthquake and its aftermath are only beginning to heal for those who were affected by the massive tremor.

In addition to the millions of survivors in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, the endangered giant panda, also known as China's 'national treasures' (国宝, guobao) are also recovering from the traumatic experience. China's largest giant panda breeding base at Wolong is only 30 kilometers from Wenchuan.

Initially the three pandas Si Jia (思嘉), Qian Qian (芊芊) and Mei Qian (美茜) – all females less than two years old – were transported out of Wolong to another base in Ya'an, Sichuan. Due to continuous aftershocks and landslides, it was decided that the pandas would be moved to Kunming, where it is hoped they will recover from what is essentially post-traumatic stress disorder over the next two years.

Qian Qian

After arriving in Kunming on June 26, the three pandas are now in their third week at the Yunnan Wild Animal Zoo in northeast Kunming, and are still jittery from the quake.

The Wenchuan quake was catastrophic for the Wolong reserve, where 150 pandas had been living. More than a dozen of the base's 32 pens were destroyed, five pandas went missing and one died.

Si Jia, Qian Qian and Mei Qian didn't come to Kunming alone, their zoo keeper Xiao Yi also moved to Kunming from Wolong. According to a Xinhua report, their keeper tries to soothe the three young pandas by saying nice things to them in the Sichuan dialect.

"When they feel safe enough, the three pandas will enjoy themselves in the playground," Xinhua quoted Xiao as saying. "They roll all the way down the slope and stack themselves up, one on top of another, but they are extremely scared of loud noises."

Mei Qian

According to Xiao, recent thunder in Kunming has had a startling effect on the pandas, who are having the same reactions to thunder as they did to the aftershocks and landslides in Sichuan.

There are plans to build a new Wolong panda base, this time in Huangcaoping, Sichuan. Required investment for the project is estimated at two billion yuan (US$290 million). The new base, proposed by the Wolong reserve, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is expected to feature a panda laboratory, panda hospital, a 1,500 square meter cub pen plus a bamboo cultivation area.

Kunming's three pandas will have to wait if they want to move back to Wolong – if approved, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

Image: clzg.cn

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Gentle giants arrive in Kunming

Tiger fishing

Tags: endangered species, environment, pandas, Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake, Wolong

Yesterday afternoon Yunnan Wild Animal Zoo received two giant pandas from the Panda Research Centre at Wolong, Sichuan province - the first time that giant pandas have been exhibited in Yunnan - according to a Yunnan Daily report.

The two panda brothers, Didi and Xinxing, arrived to a warm welcome at Kunming International Airport after being coaxed into steel cages and flown more than 1,000 kilometres from Chengdu.

Didi, the older of the two, was born in 1994 at Wolong, to Panpan and Jiajia (pictured). Panpan is renowned as a master breeder - 17 percent of the pandas at the research centre are related to him. Jiajia found fame further afield: she went to Hong Kong in 1997 with An'an, to be star attraction at the Special Administrative Region's Ocean Park, in a twist on China's long-standing practice of 'panda diplomacy'.

Didi's breeder, Song Haitao, says Didi is rather fond of sleep, each day getting at least 10 hours, if he isn't woken. A typical day at Wolong would involve little more than sleeping and eating, perhaps with breaks for sunbathing in the play area, or the luxury of a spell in a cool air blast in the aircon room.

We've seen the Yunnan Wild Animal Zoo on GoKunming before - panda fishing anyone?

For directions to the zoo, check out that last link.

Tags: endangered species, environment, giant panda, Wolong