ෆූ බාඕ මහජනයා හමුවට

Wild giant panda population grows to nearly 1900

Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), met the public on Wednesday morning after returning to southwest China's Sichuan Province, the hometown of giant pandas.

The much-awaited appearance at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan's Wolong comes following a two month period of inspection, quarantine and adaptation after her return to China in early April.

Born in July 2020, Fu Bao, meaning "lucky treasure" in English, is the first cub of giant pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who were sent to the ROK from China in 2016 on a 15-year lease. She quickly became an online sensation on ROK social media after her birth, becoming a source of joy for people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting from Wednesday, the Shenshuping giant panda base began allowing five-minute visits for a limited number of daily visitors.

A day earlier, data released by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration stated that the number of giant pandas in the wild in China has grown to nearly 1,900, while the number of captive black-and-white bears across the world reached 728 as of the end of last year.

At a press conference at the Shenshuping base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Sichuan Province, the administration said that China's establishment of the Giant Panda National Park which covers a total area of over 22,000 square kilometers provides significant protection for around 72 percent of wild giant pandas.

Currently, China has established joint programs on giant panda conservation with 18 institutions from 17 countries, with 50 giant pandas living abroad.

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