Editor's Note: 

As one of China's most beloved national treasures, the giant panda has long captured the hearts of people worldwide. 

Right now, dozens of giant pandas are living in zoos across the globe, which brings joy to people, generates economic benefits for the institutions they inhabit, and contributes to biodiversity conservation. 

However, the cute, fluffy animal has also faced malicious criticism and even smears, with some Western media outlet reports accusing China of using pandas as a diplomatic tool to open doors to diplomatic relations.

In this final installment, the Global Times ventures deep into the mountains of Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Accompanied by researchers and experienced keepers, several panda mothers and their cubs are undergoing training to prepare for the cubs' return to the wild - a process that reflects the dedication and ingenuity behind giant panda conservation efforts. In the future, these young cubs may grow to become rulers of the forests, contributing their genes to the wild population.

The cub of giant panda Hui Hui hides among the high branches during its wild training in Tiantai Mountain, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, on November 30, 2024. Photo: Shan Jie/GT

Upon hearing the sound of humans, the one-and-a-half-year-old panda cub dart deeper into the forest. 

Moments later, she appears on a towering tree 20 meters high with its sturdy branches providing a safe vantage point.

Meanwhile, Hui Hui, the cub's mother, peacefully enjoys bamboo shoots, carrots, and specially made panda nutrition biscuits brought by keeper Cui Zhiguo. As she eats, Hui Hui lets out satisfied hums.

Hui Hui, a 12-year-old captive-bred panda, is currently raising her cub while participating in wild training in the fields of Tiantai Mountain in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, which is a crucial step in the giant panda reintroduction into the wild program.

Giant panda reintroduction program involves releasing captive-bred pandas into their historical habitats after undergoing acclimatization training, with the goal of restoring and rebuilding wildlife populations. 

Since initiating its reintroduction program in 2003, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) has released 11 pandas into the wild, with 9 successfully surviving.

This provides a new, scientifically effective approach to address the issue of inbreeding in isolated panda populations, promote population recovery, and achieve sustainable development for the overall giant panda population, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA).

Feral cubs

In late November 2024, temperatures at the Hetaoping base were bitterly low. A narrow, winding foot path led upward to the panda wild training area, passing through a locked gate along the way. The Hetaoping base in Wolong is the only one of the four bases under the CCRCGP that is not open to the public.

As the Global Times reporters climbed alongside wild training keeper Cui in search of Hui Hui and her cub, the trail grew steeper, coated with a thin layer of snow. On either side of the path, dense bamboo forests and towering trees stretched upward. Occasionally, small squirrels would hop about, engrossed in their own activities, undisturbed by the presence of humans.

According to Cui, the cub and her mother, Hui Hui, were transferred to Tiantai Mountain in May 2024 for the second stage of wild training. At the time, the cub was about 10 months old.

Mou Shijie, a keeper at the CCRCGP with rich experience in panda wild training and reintroduction, explained, "In the initial stages, we tried to train giant pandas for survival in the wild by having keepers feed them outdoors, but we encountered many difficulties. Eventually, we discovered the 'mother-cub' method. The selection of the mother is critical - ideally, the panda mother must possess wild survival experience, sufficient wild instincts, and the ability to protect herself while teaching her cub survival skills."

Keepers dressed in panda costumes approach the giant panda Tao Tao in Wolong, Sichuan Province, on October 7, 2012. Photo: IC

"In this process, the most critical rule is avoiding any close contact between the cub and humans. From the very beginning of caring for the cub, staff must wear 'panda costumes' camouflaged with the scent of panda urine and feces to mask human odors," Mou explained.

To improve the effectiveness of these disguises, Mou noted that five iterations of "panda costumes" were developed, including camouflage designs and panda-like suits, before the final version was chosen. "The current panda suit is not only highly effective as a disguise, but is also lightweight and practical for fieldwork," Mou said.

Once a trained cub is deemed capable of surviving independently in the wild, it moves on to the reintroduction phase. After completing a series of training sessions and undergoing expert evaluations, the cub must demonstrate essential survival skills, such as foraging and responding to dangers, before being released in the wild.

At the time of release, cubs are fitted with an electronic tracking collar that uses satellite signals to monitor their movements, health, and other data. "The collar typically falls off after about a year and a half, so it cannot provide long-term tracking. After that, we rely on infrared cameras, fecal sampling, and other methods to gather further data," Mou said.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, as of June 2024, nine pandas released by the CCRCGP have survived in the wild. Among them, seven have successfully integrated into the wild population in the Xiaoxiangling Mountains, a habitat facing the risk of extinction, while two have joined the wild population in the Minshan Mountain.

An innovative practice

China has made significant progress in protecting giant pandas and their habitats through the vigorous implementation of natural forest protection, wildlife conservation, and the establishment of giant panda national parks. The total number of wild giant pandas rose from around 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 currently, the NFGA said at a press conference in November 2024.

The habitats of giant pandas in China are highly fragmented due to towns, roads, and human activities, resulting in the wild pandas being divided into 33 local populations. This fragmentation leads to a lack of gene exchange between these populations, which results in inbreeding, decreasing genetic diversity in these small isolated populations while increasing the risk of their extinction, according to a CCTV report.

Therefore, in 2003, China began research on the giant panda reintroduction program.

The research was not easy from the start.

According to a report by People's Daily, in 2006, a male sub-adult giant panda named Xiang Xiang became the first giant panda to be released in the wild after undergoing independent training. However, less than a year later, staff at the CCRCGP found Xiang Xiang's body in the snow. Analysis indicated that he died from injuries sustained after falling from a great height during a fight with wild pandas over territory and food. 

The center attributed Xiang Xiang's death to a lack of suitable role models for learning, insufficient survival skills, and possibly a saturated population in the release area, which limited his living space. Additionally, the competition among adult male pandas for territory and mates is extremely fierce in the wild, and Xiang Xiang may have lacked fighting experience. 

Learning from Xiang Xiang's experience, the CCRCGP pioneered a method of "mother-cub" training in 2010, in which the mother panda leads her cubs into the wild. 

This method has proven to be effective.

Giant panda Tao Tao practices climbing trees under the protection of her mother, Cao Cao, during a wild training session in Wolong, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, on January 31, 2011. Photo: VCG

On October 11, 2012, Tao Tao, a two-year-old captive-bred panda, was released in the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian county, Ya'an city, Sichuan Province. Tao Tao became the first successfully reintroduced captive-bred giant panda and was subsequently recorded multiple times in the wild, according to local news outlet Ya'an Daily.

On November 6, 2013, after two years of wild training, Zhang Xiang, another giant panda, was released in the same area. She became the world's first female captive-bred giant panda to be successfully reintroduced into the wild.

Today, Hui Hui's cub is undergoing similar training to prepare for its eventual return to the forest.

According to the People's Daily, advanced technologies are supporting the reintroduction of giant pandas into the wild. A space-air-ground integrated sensing system is being developed in national parks, with cameras, infrared devices, and improved tracking collars deployed to enhance monitoring and collect data on the pandas' movements and survival. 

Additionally, techniques like DNA identification and "panda facial recognition" are being used to evaluate genetic diversity, population dynamics, and the success of reintroduction efforts.

Moreover, a pioneering research project was launched to introduce captive female giant pandas into the wild to mate with wild male pandas. This resulted in the successful return of precious panda cubs with wild genetic traits, contributing to the exchange of genetic material between wild and captive populations, further enhancing the genetic diversity of the captive population.

Law of nature

The purpose of wild training for giant pandas is to strengthen the endangered wild populations, increase genetic diversity, and ultimately return pandas to their natural habitat. 

Meanwhile, captive breeding aims to expand the panda population base and, as a flagship species, raise public awareness about the conservation of wildlife. Both efforts are indispensable.

"We do not treat pandas as pets. We never deliberately approach them, touch them, or play with them," Lang Shunjun, a keeper at the Shenshuping base, told the Global Times. 

She added that each enclosure is equipped with trees or wooden posts to help pandas maintain their natural climbing instincts and preserve their wild nature, rather than turning into animals entirely dependent on human care.

The keepers' responsibilities often involve providing necessary assistance at critical times, such as during the pandas' mating and breeding periods. Researchers conduct studies on giant pandas from various aspects, including morphology, behavior, physiology, and genetics, to address challenges such as difficulties in estrus, breeding, and cub survival. 

These efforts aim to continuously enhance the genetic diversity of the captive panda population.

At CCRCGP's Shenshuping base in Wolong, not far from the Tiantai Mountain, lives a star panda cub known as Xian Xian's cub, praised for its sweet appearance and friendly demeanor toward humans.

What many visitors might not know is that Xian Xian, the cub's mother, is currently undergoing wild training with his twin brother in the Tiantai Mountain area, living on a neighboring mountain to Hui Hui and her cub.

The future of the twin brothers will be vastly different, but both will contribute to the panda population in their own ways.