Pioneer pandas battle to survive new territory

An infrared monitoring camera captured a photo of Lu Xin in the wild in the Liziping Nature Reserve of Sichuan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Dangerous exercise

However, the task is dangerous and can result in the pioneer's death. In 2006, five-year-old male Xiang Xiang became China's first captive-bred panda released to the wild, but was found dead one year later after fighting with native pandas over food and territory.

Lu Xin potentially faced the same fate, in addition to having to adapt to a different type of bamboo to eat, new ways of communicating and a changed local climate.

"She was chosen because females are more easily accepted by wild pandas, while males are often seen as threats," says Huang Feng.

A sensing chip, or ID card, was implanted under her skin and a GPS collar was put around her neck. With homesickness, fear of the unknown but barely a look back, the heroine panda disappeared into the bamboo in late April 2009.

Up to 12 researchers have kept a watchful eye on her with the help of radio positioning tools and infrared monitoring cameras since the day she was released.

It's best that human contact is kept to a minimum, but the collar was mysteriously abandoned by Lu Xin several months later.

Huge efforts went into recovering the data. Thanks to the sensing chip, they distinguished Lu from the pack of pandas and replaced the collar.

One year later, researchers went to check on her health, attempting to re-capture her by placing familiar bamboo dishes in a cage.

When they checked on the cage, they found Lu Xin had been captured but managed to dig a hole in the ground and successfully escape.

"She's quite smart," Huang Feng said light-heartedly.

Eventually, they caught her and performed the physical in May 2011.

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Lu Xin's new home in April 2013 damaged about 16,600 hectares of the panda's habitat, but "kidnappers" didn't lose track of Lu Xin, who survived the ordeal in good health.

Years passed and Huang and his colleagues scarcely saw Lu Xin, save for fleeting glimpses spotted on their infrared cameras. Six photos and two videos in March and May 2014 revealed she had given birth to a panda cub, taking the team by surprise.

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