Foping base keeps giant pandas safe and healthy

Amid the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival holiday, often marked by family reunions, a group of dedicated workers remained at their posts caring for giant pandas in Shaanxi province.

Qinling Giant Panda Foping Rescue Breeding Research Base, which began operations in October 2022, focuses on managing giant pandas, as well as rescuing and treating injured or sick pandas in the wild.

Yang Li, deputy director of the base, has worked there for six years and celebrated her fourth Spring Festival alongside the giant pandas. She monitors their health and conducts public science education programs. Yang also takes part in patrols, trekking through snow in winter and navigating dense, humid forests in summer.

"Safeguarding the ecological security of the Qinling Mountains while families reunite offers a sense of achievement that cannot be replaced by any holiday," Yang said.

The job has taught her that giant pandas have no concept of holidays. During the festival period, particularly given Foping's climate, the animals are especially active.

"Watching them enjoy their bamboo and grow up healthy makes our perseverance worthwhile," she said.

Yang likens caring for giant pandas to raising children.

"Giant pandas require dedicated care and attention. If there are similarities in caring for giant pandas and children, it lies in paying attention to details," she said.

Food prepared for the pandas, including apples and bamboo, must be disinfected and thoroughly rinsed. Like young children, the animals are also given additional meals at night, she added.

While giant pandas may appear nearly identical to casual observers, Yang and her colleagues say each has a distinct temperament.

Heng Heng, a male panda at the base, often appears melancholy, Yang said. While visitors may interpret that as a bad mood, she said he simply has a calm, contemplative disposition. Dang Sheng, a female, is the most lively, frequently hugging tree trunks and climbing, especially on snowy days.

Yang is not alone in protecting and caring for giant pandas. He Jiao, a research assistant at China Agricultural University's College of Veterinary Medicine, returned to his hometown of Foping two years ago. One of his responsibilities is collecting panda fecal samples for laboratory analysis to screen for infectious diseases and assess their health.

His family has long-standing ties to panda conservation. In the 1990s, his great-grandparents rescued a giant panda named Ping Ping. Since then, his grandparents and parents have been involved in local conservation efforts.

"Between my family, my village and these mountains, there exists a bond with the giant panda that is hard to explain and impossible to break," He said. "I hope to carry forward this legacy, improve and advance giant panda conservation."

Foping county plays a significant role in giant panda conservation. According to the fourth national giant panda survey conducted by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration from 2011 to 2014, Foping National Nature Reserve covers 292.4 square kilometers and is home to 67 giant pandas — the highest population density and wild encounter rate of the species in China.

The base is designed to serve multiple functions, including wildlife rescue and shelter, emergency quarantine, rewilding training and release, scientific research, and public education. Once fully completed, it will be able to house more than 20 giant pandas.

Looking ahead, Yang said that in 2026 the base will use its laboratory to monitor panda health conditions, and she will continue raising public awareness about conservation.