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Artificially bred China panda dies in the wild
The world’s only artificially bred panda living in the wild has fallen to its death less than a year after it was released, possibly after a fight with other pandas, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
Xiang Xiang, 5, was released at the Wolong Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas in the mountainous southwestern province of Sichuan in April last year.
"Experts found the body of Xiang Xiang on February 19 and the panda might have fallen from a high place in a fight with wild pandas," Xinhua said, citing the China Giant Pandas Protection and Research Centre in Wolong.
Xiang Xiang’s release came after nearly three years of training to toughen him up at the research centre.
"Through surveillance we found out that Xiang Xiang had gradually adapted to the wild environment," Zhang Hemin, director of the centre, said in July.
"We have also detected other wild pandas in the area, which means Xiang Xiang is being integrated into a wild population."
Researchers had fitted a global positioning system device around the animal’s neck to monitor his activities, CCTV said.
Surveillance of Xiang Xiang was to have continued until 2008 when the GPS hoop was to drop off automatically after its battery ran out, Zhang said.
"By then, our Xiang Xiang will have become a real wild panda."
Experts had studied his choice of territory, his meals and waste, but strictly avoided direct contact so as to help him completely shake off dependence on humans, CCTV said.
State media said in July China had raised about 180 giant pandas in captive breeding programs and spent $12.5 million since 2003 training them for release into the wild.
The giant panda is one of the world’s most endangered species and is found only in China. An estimated 1,000 live in Sichuan and in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces in the northwest.
1. artificially：人工地
2. toughen up：使强壮
3. surveillance：监督、监视
4. integrate：使一体化
5. shake off：摆脱
周四，据报道世界上唯一一只被放归野外的人工饲养大熊猫在放归不到一年后在与其他大熊猫争斗中坠落摔死。
去年四月，五岁的祥祥被放到四川西南卧龙大熊猫自然保护区。中国大熊猫保护研究中心说：“专家们于2月19日发现祥祥的尸体，它可能在与其他熊猫争夺地盘的时候从高处落下。”祥祥在放归之前曾接受将近三年的生存训练。中心主任去年七月说：“通过跟踪观察，我们发现祥祥已经逐渐适应了野外环境。”“我们也观察了此区域的其它野生熊猫，也就是说祥祥正逐渐融入它们。”央视说研究人员在祥祥脖子上安装了全球定位系统项圈，方便监视它的行为。项圈电量大约能持续到2008年，没电后会自动脱落。“到那时，我们的祥祥就是纯正的野生熊猫了。”
专家们研究了他选择领地、饮食和排泄情况，但是没有直接接触它，以帮助它彻底摆脱人类帮助。去年七月国家媒体称中国人工饲养了大约180只大熊猫，从2003年为培训它们共投入1250万美元。大熊猫是世界上最稀少的濒危物种之一，并且仅在中国被发现。目前大约1000只居住在四川、山西、甘肃等西北地区。 | 
