Human Toll The road to Wolong was rendered impassable since portions of bridges collapsed and parts of the road were totally taken out by rock slides. Dujiangyan Panda Base is a branch base of Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and Dujiangyan Valley is place where pandas are encouraged to return to the wild. Extensive diaries are kept on each animal. Wolong Earthquake Video from Pandas International - YouTube. Giant Panda Habitat Four Years After the Earthquake On May 12, 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake devastated an area of 470km long and 100km wide. Then the remainder of the surviving Giant Pandas were moved to safe locations. The group of 12 American tourists, traveling on a tour arranged by the World Wide Fund for Nature, had left Chengdu on the morning of the earthquake and driven to Wolong to spend the day. The nursery at the Wolong Center is staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week, to care for the newborn Giant Pandas who require feeding every three to four hours. More than a dozen captive Giant Pandas were artificially inseminated. The world famous panda center was badly damaged by the May 12 quake but officials initially thought all 64 pandas had survived. By Post Staff Report. "It's like you could say something and she would understand," he said. Forestry officials have said that about 80 percent of Sichuan’s Giant Panda habitat suffered some degree of damage from the quake. Copyright © 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The New Wolong & Dujiangyan Panda Facilities. The panda cam you’re watching shows baby pandas in the Happiness Village yard, named in honor of Xingfucun, one of many villages devastated in a 2008 earthquake. As the others left, the director of the U.S.-based Pandas International, Suzanne Braden put her arm around He. The Panda Center and its equipment were severely damaged as were the administration building and staff housing. 2008), we believe that Wolong is an important place to study the impact of the earthquake on giant pandas and their habitat, consid-ering the large percentage of wild giant pandas inhab- He nodded. "If you were happy, she was happy too. It is not known how many wild pandas died. The Gengda Center is a part of Wolong Base, built after the earthquake after May 12, 2008. © 2008 The Associated Press. Accessibility to the Center Tracking a panda means understanding how they interact with their mountainous environment, and how their fragile habitat is affected by humans. The exact toll on the residents living in the earthquake area of Sichuan Province is incalculable. He would speak to her in the local Sichuan dialect as he worked. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Giant Pandas thought to be pregnant were the first to be evaluated after the earthquake, including the rescued Gao Gao. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. So do you need a vaccine card? Piles of rock from the nearby mountainside rained down on Wolong, as seen in the photo below. The Wolong Panda Center closed in 2008 due to earthquake damage. We are both pretty sad about the earthquake that has devastated parts of the Sichuan province in China. Tragically, the Wolong Panda Center was largely devastated by the catastrophic 2008 earthquake. Authorities confirmed Tuesday that captive animals in two of China's major panda reserves were alive, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency. Pandas International is a registered 501 (c)3 non profit organization :: EIN Tax ID: 84-1544557 Copyright © 2013 Pandas International. Thirteen giant pandas from the quake-struck Wolong Panda center in China were relocated to the base to avoid threats from potential geological disasters after the May 12 earthquake. I was curious to see how much the park had changed. Standing about 1700 meters above the sea, Wolong Giant Panda Reserve is the world’s largest breeding center for the giant pandas with more than 30 captive pandas. "And their babies.". or mail P.O. Liu Jin/AFP-Getty Images A giant panda at the China Conservation and Research Center in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan, the epicenter of the May 12, 2008, earthquake. One unconfirmed report said 15 bodies had been found. Nearly 70,000 people were killed, and more than 5 million were left homeless by the 7.9-magnitude quake. There were 63 Giant Pandas at the Wolong Panda Center before the quake. Thus the only access to Wolong was through poor dirt roads over high mountain passes. The Wolong Panda Center in Hetaoping was a research and breeding center within the Wolong Nature Reserve. The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center … Officials initially thought that all 64 pandas had survived. or call 303.933.2365
On May 11, 2016, Shenshup… she said. Additionally, a disease control center was to be built closer to Chengdu. The center's director, Zhang Hemin, stood with his cap in hand and then shoveled in a few spades of dirt. The epicenter was just 7 miles away. A panda rescued after the May 12 earthquake looks out from behind the bars of a cage at China Conservative and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong on Tuesday. ", First published on June 10, 2008 / 10:04 AM. New homes include the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base about 75 miles outside Sichuan’s provincial capital of Chengdu, in Ya’an (under the Wolong Authority) another breeding center in Chengdu itself, and facilities in the eastern province of Fujian and the southern province of Guangdong. Damage to Wolong Panda Center. Heart disease, drugs contributed but didn't cause Floyd's death: Expert, House Ethics Committee opens investigation into Matt Gaetz, DMX, electrifying rapper who defined 2000s rap, dies at 50, New Yorkers call marijuana expungement "a win", Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dead at 99, Georgia becomes third state to shut down J&J vaccine site, Slavery reparations bill appears set to advance in House, 4 U.S. airlines pull Boeing 737 MAX jets for electrical problem, Scammers are selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards online. In 2008, the former Wolong Panda Research Center was tragically destroyed by the massive Wenchuan earthquake and the pandas once inhabited there were forced to leave for other Bases. Gengda Wolong Panda Center in Sichuan Province, China Welcome to the Gengda Wolong Panda Center! Mud is covering much of the bamboo. Replanting bamboo in the Wolong Nature Reserve is a major priority today. Immediately after the quake, officials were unable to contact the reserve. He had been the panda's only keeper since she was 3 years old. There are around 1,590 wild pandas in China, according to the Wolong center. Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve not only protects pandas, but also protects other pieces. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/panda-killed-in-china-earthquake-mourned Wolong Panda Reserve Destroyed By China Earthquake. Toll on the Wolong Panda Center. Say goodbye to Wolong for the day and hop back on the bus. Oral COVID-19 vaccine being tested in LA-area research center, What's behind the push for a fourth stimulus check, California to reopen June 15 if state meets specific criteria, 21 hockey players on Vancouver Canucks test positive for COVID, Biden moves up deadline for COVID vaccine eligibility to April 19, How the wealthy cut the line during Florida's frenzied vaccine rollout, Volcano erupts in Caribbean as thousands flee danger zone, Why Earth's most beloved creatures are headed toward extinction, 3,000-year-old "lost golden city" unearthed in Egypt, California Privacy/Information We Collect. These are the first two cubs ever born at this base, which was built to replace the Wolong Panda Center after it was destroyed in the 2008 earthquake. Another 180 have been bred in captivity. Forty-seven pandas continue to live at Wolong, while one other panda, Xiao Xiao, remains missing. The road went through the epicenter of the earthquake. Mao Mao's keeper, He Changgui, stepped forward, crying, and placed two apples and a piece of bread by the covered grave. Of the 63 Giant Pandas at Wolong that fateful day, Mao Mao was lost forever, Xiao Xiao is still missing, and Zhu Hai died from illness following the earthquake. Mao Mao, known to her caretaker as a sweet and playful mother of three, was crushed when the wall of her enclosure collapsed because of pressure from a dam of rocks and debris in the river. The effects of losing so much will not be known for years to come. Having an adequate food supply has become a critical concern. We conducted the first post-earthquake field survey in Wolong Nature Reserve, Wenchuan, China, less than 1 year after it was hit by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in 2008. The rest were moved to safety at Bifengxia, other Centers and zoos. Unfortunately, the Hetaoping Panda Center of Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve was badly destroyed by the Wenchuan Earthquake and most pandas were relocated to Bifengxia Base of China Panda Protection and Research Center. ALEXANDER F. YUAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS. One was killed while another remains missing and one died from illness following the earthquake. I had visited the Wolong Centre before the terrible earthquake of 2007. By May 20, two pandas at the reserve were found to be injured, while the search continued for another two adult panda… (China Earthquake Networks Center 2008). Contact us at info@pandasinternational.org
Some of Wolong's pandas have been moved to another breeding center in Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, and eight were flown to Beijing for a previously scheduled six-month stay at the Beijing Zoo for the Olympics. It also affected a number of crucial sanctuaries for China’s unofficial mascot, and one of the world’s most beloved (and … Day 2 Wild Wolong . After the partial destruction of the Wolong panda center during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, plans were laid out to build a new facility a few kilometers away. Panda keepers carry panda Mao Mao's body on their way to a burial site in Wolong, China, in June. Even as Jack Liu spends most of his time working to learn more of the fate of those in Wolong, he can’t help but wonder about scientific implications of the earthquake. Dr. Li, Deputy Director, said the the Wolong Reserve faces the potential for severe secondary geological disasters. Pandas International has continued to supply formula for the cubs, replace and repair damaged incubators and research equipment, and provide annual veterinary needs. The bamboo forest was buried under mountainous landslides of rock and mud. Although the percentage of habitat loss was lower in Wolong than some other reserves (Ouyang et al. The quake hit during what the Chinese delicately call the “falling in love period,” a 24-to-72-hour window each spring when female pandas are fertile. They later discovered that two were missing. 2008, a huge earthquake de-stroyed much of the research center. All rights reserved. The center will have to be relocated to a new site because of safety issues, said Huang Yan, deputy director of research, but it will remain within the confines of Wolong Nature Reserve, which is located in a damp, narrow valley several hours' drive from Chengdu. Five staff members of the Wolong Nature Reserve died in the earthquake, but fortunately no staff members of the actual Panda Center were killed. Eighteen Giant Panda houses were destroyed and 14 others severely damaged. During this tour, you will be able to explore the habitat of wild giant pandas and to be a panda keeper for a day in the brand new center. On Tuesday, panda keepers and other workers placed her remains in a small wooden crate and wheeled her quietly to a patch of ground outside the breeding center where a freshly dug hole waited. The new Wolong Panda Research Center was opened to the public in May 2016. "We haven't found any giant panda in the wild who died from the earthquake," Wang said. By CamOp Lee. Since the severe big earthquake occurred in Wenchuan in 2008, the original Hetaoping Panda Base (核桃坪熊猫基地) was destroyed. We were in that area for about 5-6 weeks last year and really loved Chengdu, Songpan and, of course, Wolong.The Panda center was very close to the epicenter and had a lot of damage. From then on, pandas were transferred to their new home in batches. There is no way of knowing what effect the earthquake would have on the pregnant females, but, after being safely moved to Bifengxia, they all went on to deliver healthy cubs, including Gao Gao. The Center’s years of preparation ensure that every new habitat in the reserve […] The majority of Giant Pandas and staff regrouped at the Bifengxia Center. Landslides were a particular concern because the quake caused hillsides to shear away and crash into river valleys below. Alex Pasternack Treehugger.com. Many slopes are unstable and are at high risk of being washed away by future storms. Rescuers worked through a steady rain searching wrecked towns across hilly stretches of Sichuan province that were stricken by Monday's magnitude-7.9 quake, China's deadliest in three decades. Eight Giant Pandas were temporarily on display at the Beijing Zoo as part of the Olympics, but have since been returned to Bifengxia. The region, including the Panda Research Center, was largely devastated by the catastrophic May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, though the captive giant pandas were initially reported to be safe. "You must look after her babies, OK?" China’s massive earthquake this month killed as many as 80,000 people, leveled over 400,000 homes, and threatened dams and lakes, bringing out an unusual, grassroots goodwill in the process. The center was badly damaged by the earthquake May 12, which caused the deaths of five Wolong staff members. You've been vaccinated. Most staffers, tourists and pandas were outside at the time. Big news for Panda Fans! All Rights Reserved. On May 12, 2008, less than a year after these photographs were taken, the Center was badly damaged in the Wenchuan Earthquake and evacuated. Several Giant Pandas had to be rescued from their enclosures and one Giant Panda, Gao Gao, was significantly injured. It takes about three hours to drive the 120 km (75 miles) between Chengdu and Wolong. The death toll of more than 15,000 and certain to rise as more buried are found. Box 620335, Littleton, CO 80162. We were at Wolong Panda Research Center—once home to about 60 Giant Pandas—about 3 hours outside Chengdu, the capital city of China’s Sichuan province. Landslides and mud-rock flows have occurred frequently and pose a serious threat to the safety of the surviving animals. The nature reserve was heavily damaged by the quake, which was centered just 20 miles away in the heart of Sichuan province's mountainous panda country. At that time the park was small and modest, but it had 16 one-year-old pandas!!! The endangered panda is revered as a kind of national mascot in China. There were three minutes of silence. He, Mao Mao's keeper, returned from the grave with red eyes. Nearly a month after China's devastating earthquake, the Wolong Nature Reserve held a funeral Tuesday for a panda that was crushed in the temblor. "I will go back to see her everyday," he said. The largest outpost of the Wolong Nature Reserve, BFX became home to several giant pandas needing refuge after the Wolong panda breeding center was destroyed by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Lin Ping gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on July 8th at the Gengda Panda Center in China. by Hannah Schardt; photos by Katherine Feng 6 Eight years ago, an earthquake nearly wrecked China’s most famous panda research center. Several Giant Pandas had to be rescued from their enclosures and one Giant Panda, Gao Gao, was significantly injured. Panda Suit. For a complete account of the devastation of the earthquake please order “The Quake and the Wolong Pandas: A Personal Journey” by Suzanne Braden >>. One was killed while another remains missing and one died from illness following the earthquake. Five Wolong staff members were killed in the quake. Toll on Wild Pandas Six pandas escaped after their enclosures were damaged. Nine-year-old Mao Mao, the mother of five at the breeding center, was found Monday, her body crushed by a wall of her enclosure when the river behind it swelled with landslide debris. View author archive; Get author RSS feed; Most Popular Today 1 Yes, Topanga is married to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch shrimp guy 2 … In addition, slides may be blocking normal migratory corridors for both food and mating. A serious threat to the public in May 2016 and the neighboring Province of Shaanxi the park had changed June. 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