Panda
cubs have the cuteness thing down pat, but rough-and-tumble? Not so much. Now
scientists are hoping to teach the roly-poly bears survival skills they'll need
for living in the wild.
The
new mission is partly the result of a panda cub being released into the wild
without the proper training. Xiang Xiang, a male cub, wasreleased
into Wolong Nature Reserve, located high in the mountains of western
China's Sichuan Province, in April 2006. Unfortunately, Xiang Xiang wasn't
prepared for the harsh reality of the wild. After less than a year of wandering
the mountains, the cub was killed by neighboring males during turf wars.
Enter
Tao Tao, a 2-year-old male panda currently roaming in Lipingzi Nature Reserve
in southwestern China. The cub went through a boot camp of sorts, and now
scientists are monitoring the furball with GPS.
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