Society

Sick panda in quake zone gets tender loving care

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-13 07:10

CHENGDU - A sick wild panda recently rescued in Sichuan province's Beichuan county, one of the worst hit by the deadly 8.0 magnitude earthquake two years ago, has been recovering, but is still not completely out of danger.

Sick panda in quake zone gets tender loving care

Panda Beichuan, discovered in a cornfield in Jianghe village, Beichuan county, receives treatment at the Chengdu research base for giant panda breeding. [China News Service]?

The panda, which was discovered on April 26 by a resident in a cornfield in Jianghe village in Beichuan, had suffered severe damage to its liver, gall bladder and pancreas, the Chengdu-based Tianfu Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

In the wild, a panda usually leaves its mother to live independently when it turns one and a half years old. If it cannot adapt to the natural environment, it may contract illnesses and die, said Yang Zhi, vice-president of the veterinary hospital at the Chengdu research base for giant panda breeding.

The hospital joined the local forestry bureau in rescuing the panda, which it brought back to the base on April 27. Since then, the animal has been cared for round the clock.

The panda has improved, but its life is still under threat, the report said, citing unnamed experts at the base.

Given its serious condition, it is difficult to carry out any special treatment, except for intravenous injections to supply nutrition for the time being, the report said.

The panda has been named Beichuan to commemorate the second anniversary of the earthquake, which fell on Wednesday.

"The discovery of Panda Beichuan means the natural environment, damaged by the quake, is recovering," Yang said.

Meanwhile, local authorities said the earthquake remains in Beichuan county, sealed off for safety reasons following the disaster, will open to the public starting on May 15.

Phone or online reservations will be required in advance, with no more than 1,000 visitors per day, said Zhao Kaisheng, director of the quake remains protection office in Beichuan.

The construction of the Beichuan earthquake museum is also under way and 50 percent of the work has already been completed on controlling geological disasters at six sites around the old county center.