СДЕЛАЙТЕ ПОЖАЙЛУСТА НОРМАЛЬНЫЙ ПЕРЕВОД ЧТОБЫ ВСЕ ПО СМЫСЛКУ ПОДХОДИЛО (Левый перевод -БАН)
Giant pandas, found only in China, are one of the world's most endangered species. There are only about 1600 left in the wild and another 200 in captivity. The female panda has an average of only about 7 cubs (baby pandas) in her lifetime. This is why it is extremely important that we protect these beautiful animals.
In April 2006, a four-year-old male panda called Xiang Xiang was released into the wild. He was the first panda born in captivity to be set free. This was more than 40 years after the birth of the first giant panda in captivity. Xiang Xiang, whose name means 'lucky', has a radio collar so scientists can follow his movements. When released, he barked like an angry dog and ran towards photographers before heading into the forest!
Xiang Xiang began training to be a wild panda from the age of two. He was raised at the Panda Centre in the Wolong Nature Reserve Where more than a hundred pandas live (more than half of the oandas in captivity!). Xiang Xiang's habital trainig began in a five acre open space. He later went to a much larger area that was more like a natural panda habital. There, Xiang xiang learned to build a place to live and to eat bamboo. He started to become aggressive towards humans and make noises like a wild panda. Also , his health improved and he began to have more energy.
The area around the Wolong Nature Reserve is the largest giant panda habitat in the world. Scientists will work out how many more pandas can live in this area, then they will release that number into the wild. Xiang Xiang was released into the western end of the Wolong Nature Reserve. There, he may meet other pandas. However, will they befriend him or not? If they do, then in the future pandas will be released in eight or ten different locations. The plan os to double the number of pandasin the wild by releasing around 15 each year.
Conservationalists hope many more pandas like Xiang Xiang will be released back into their natural habital. However, the giant panda's habitat has been shrinking more and more due to deforestation for wood and farming. This is the greatest threat of all to pandas. For this reason, the Chinese government has decided to protect 28 natural areas. They have also set up centres like the Chengdu Research Base. This research base started with six pandas whose habitat had been destroyed. Today it has 33 and they plan to reintroduce some of them to the wild in the future.
It is important to breed pandas and to release them into the wild. However, protecting their habitat is the most important step. This is the only way to make sure they survive.