Mother pandas train their cubs how to survive before being returned to nature

A panda cub walks in the wild in the Hetaoping Rewilding Base on Jan 29. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong in Sichuan province, has recently been exploring ways of returning its captives to the wild, and has already made a number of breakthroughs.

Since 2010, more than 30 giant panda cubs have taken part in rehearsals to reintroduce cubs to the wild by learning to rely on their mothers.

Eleven cubs so far have been released into the wild, nine of whom are known to be alive.

As a result, the "mother and cub" model has become a standard for returning giant pandas to the wild.

An expert checks a giant panda cub's health at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda's Hetaoping Rewilding Base in Sichuan province, on June 25, 2015. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Since the 1960s, China has created 67 nature reserves to protect the endangered species, which are mainly found in the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.

In July 2003, the center began exploring ways of releasing its captive pandas back into the wild and in April 2007, the first of its giant pandas was released in Wolong.

The project was halted temporarily by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and did not begin operations again until 2010.

Li Desheng (middle) and two other veterinarians check the health of a panda, which was taking part in a rehearsal to reintroduce cubs to the wild, on April 20, 2015. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Conservationists release Zhangxiang, a 2-year-old giant panda, into the wild in the Liziping Nature Reserve in Ya'an, Sichuan, on Nov 6, 2013. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Two researchers, dressed like giant pandas, try to track the pandas' movement in the Hetaoping base on Oct 10, 2014. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A panda mother helps her cub climb a tree in the Hetaoping base on June 7, last year. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A panda mother with her cub in the wild in the Hetaoping base on Aug 21. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

A researcher feeds bamboo to a panda mother at the base, which will ensure the mother's health so that she has enough milk for her cub, on July 15, 2014. (HE SHENGSHAN / FOR CHINA DAILY)

Contact the writers at zhuxingxin@chinadaily.com.cn