The reporter learned from the Wolong area of the Giant Panda National Park that on April 25, in the 2024 monitoring of key areas of giant panda habitats in Wolong, Sichuan, two groups of team members encountered 3 wild giant pandas in different areas, including witnessing a pair of panda mother and son, the mother left her son out to forage, and another panda cub about 8 months old playing in the tree.
According to the news sent back by the eyewitnesses who are still investigating in the field: at about 13 o'clock that day, a group of people at an altitude of 2680 meters above sea level, found a panda cub lying on the treetops playing, about 8 months old, perhaps it heard a movement under the tree, it first turned its head to look, and then raised its forelimbs, holding a round little head to look, full of cuteness. After staring at it for a while, he stood on the branch and played again.
"We occasionally encounter panda cubs in the wild who stay alone in the trees, it does not live alone, its mother is usually foraging nearby at this time, wild giant pandas are very territorial solitary creatures, sub-adults generally leave their mothers at the age of 2-3 to find their own territory. Until then, the mother would not leave her cubs except to forage for food. Shi Xiaogang, director of the Mujiangping Conservation Station in the Wolong Area of the Giant Panda National Park, introduced.
At about 16 o'clock in the afternoon, another group of people was extracting giant panda DNA samples on a slope at an altitude of 2,530 meters, and suddenly found that 100 meters away, a wild adult giant panda leisurely walked into a forest. On the trunk of a tree not far away, a large sub-adult panda cub is lazily sunbathing in its arms and is estimated to be about one and a half years old. "Based on the difference in size of the two giant pandas, it is speculated that this is a mother and son, and the mother panda is out foraging after settling the child. It is a natural instinct for giant pandas to climb trees, and in addition to avoiding danger, they can also communicate information and regulate their body temperature. We found that wild panda cubs especially love to bask in the sunshine in the treetops. Shi Xiaogang said.
It is reported that in this round of field investigation, 8 teams of team members conducted field monitoring and DNA sample sampling in four key areas of the Wolong area of the Giant Panda National Park. In this survey, the methodological comparison of DNA targeted capture method, bite joint method and microsatellite method was used to grasp and verify the population size, sex ratio and genetic diversity information of wild giant pandas in Wolong, so as to provide data reserves for subsequent ecological protection work.
"Up to now, after nearly half a month of field monitoring and investigation, our team has achieved remarkable results, and has extracted 187 giant panda DNA samples, and observed and recorded 3 wild giant panda entities. We hope that through this special investigation, we can understand the latest survival status of giant pandas in the Wolong area. At present, although the encounter rate of giant pandas in Wolong has increased and the actual population number has also shown an upward trend, it is still necessary to further strengthen scientific and effective protection to ensure the quality of the living environment and the source of bamboo as a staple food for giant pandas. Supported by a large amount of monitoring data, we strive to implement accurate and orderly protection strategies. Shi Xiaogang introduced.