China's Qinling Mountains in August are lush and verdant, with clouds swirling around the peaks, creating a scene reminiscent of paradise. At the Shaanxi Qinling Giant Panda Rescue and Breeding Research Base in Foping County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, four giant pandas are leisurely munching on bamboo stalks.
"This panda is named Qinyun. She's our local internet celebrity, often seen sliding on the grass, feigning lameness, rolling her eyes, and even proactively interacting with visitors at the fence," said Zhang Ning, Director of the Office of the Qinling Giant Panda Foping Rescue and Breeding Research Base, unable to conceal her affection for the pandas during an interview with DotDotNews reporters who recently visited the base to gain a deeper understanding of Qinling panda conservation efforts.
Foping County is the core distribution area for Qinling giant pandas, boasting the highest natural distribution density of giant pandas in the country. The panda population has increased from just over 10 in the 1980s to more than 130 today, accounting for one-third of the total Qinling panda population. Their habitat area has nearly doubled, with approximately one panda active in every 1.5 square kilometers. "In Foping, the probability of encountering wild pandas is also the highest in the world," Zhang stated.
Currently, the Shaanxi Qinling Giant Panda Rescue and Breeding Research Base in Foping is home to four giant pandas: three females named Dangsheng, Quanyun, and Qinyun, and one male named Jiajia.
"The Qinling giant panda belongs to the Qinling subspecies. Compared to Sichuan pandas, they have rounder faces, making them look more like cats. Furthermore, the Qinling panda has a slightly brownish hue on its chest, abdomen, and back, giving it a more distinctive appearance," Zhang explained. Researchers have discovered that the Qinling giant panda is older than the Sichuan giant panda.
Qinling giant pandas primarily feed on Bashania fargesii and Fargesia qinlingensis. In the wild, they also consume medicinal herbs such as Liriope spicata to treat ailments. Captive pandas enjoy a more varied diet, including bamboo, bamboo leaves, bamboo shoots, apples, Wowotou (Chinese cornbread), carrots, milk powder, and honey. In the summer, they even eat watermelon to cool off.
Because pandas are solitary animals in the wild, each panda at the Qinling Giant Panda Foping Rescue and Breeding Research Base in Foping enjoys the luxury of a two-room enclosure with a yard. Zhang emphasized that Foping is not only a home for giant pandas but also a habitat for many rare plants and animals. In the future, the Foping base will continue to dedicate itself to the conservation and research of Qinling giant pandas, contributing to the propagation and survival of this precious species.
(Reporter: Zhang Shizhen; Camerapeople: Zhang Shizhen; Video Editor: Rachel; English Editor: Rachel, Darius)
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