China's Sichuan establishes genetic profile for wild pandas

CHENGDU - Genetic information on wild giant pandas living in southwest China's Sichuan Province is to be filed for the first time, the provincial forestry department said on Tuesday.

"We extract DNA from the spoor collected during field research, as it is almost impossible to get as many as blood samples," said Gu Xiaodong of the department's wildlife protection station.

"The process could be long, and repetitive work is unavoidable, but it is necessary for the filing," Gu said.

Eleven wild panda habitats in the province have been picked for the first round of collecting and analyzing.

From Nov. 3 to 9, researchers followed over 100 monitoring routes in Wanglang National Natural Reserve, noting bamboo distribution and panda traces, including their spoor, for the preliminary information needed for the profile building.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. About 1,600 live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, while more than 300 live in captivity.