"Parasites can be fatal for a giant panda," Zhou said. "The bamboo shoots they eat in captivity are disinfected and scientists regularly check pandas for parasites."

There are more than 180 giant pandas living in captivity, and 1,590 in the wild, mostly in Sichuan.

Xiang Xiang's liberation marks a significant change in saving the endangered species, with the move to training them to live in the wild, said Zhao Xuemin, deputy head of the State Forestry Administration.

Chinese scientists had previously given priority to artificial-breeding and protection, Zhao said.

Plans are afoot to release other endangered species into the wild such as Chinese alligators, wild horses and red ibis (a kind of bird).