Xi'an to build giant panda scientific park

Qinling Panda Breeding and Research Center and Xi'an Qinling Wildlife Park signed a cooperation intention deal on Jan 12 to build a giant panda scientific park in Xi'an, capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

The park plans to construct nine unique areas, including an adult panda breeding area, a sub-adult panda breeding area, a kindergarten, a nursing home and a science popularization area.

The park will cover an area of 1,095 mu (73 hectares) and have the capacity to raise 50 pandas. It will be located in Luanzhen sub-district, Chang'an district in Xi'an.

It will integrate scientific research, breeding, conservation education, international exchanges, tourism and leisure, and cultural elements.

The facility will also further strengthen infrastructure construction, improve the breeding conditions and results for captive pandas, expand existing populations and increase the popularity of Qinling pandas.

Also, on Jan 12, a celebration activity was held for four newborn Qinling giant panda cubs at Qinling Panda Breeding and Research Center. The cubs now weigh 8,875 grams, 6,986g, 7,960g and 4,618g.

In recent years, Shaanxi province has actively implemented vital projects such as forest protection, transforming farmland areas into forests, and wildlife protection to promote the Qinling Mountains ecosystem's overall health.

The wild population of giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains has increased from 109 in the 1980s to 345 now, the largest population increase and highest population density in the country. The animals' habitat area has expanded from more than 1,000 square kilometers to 3,600 sq km.

The Qinling Mountains have become the most densely populated habitat for giant pandas.