Currently, it is estimated that about 1,900 giant pandas live in the wild in China, a figure that these centers seek to continue increasing through assisted breeding and subsequent reintroduction.
The conservation of the giant panda took a technological leap with the official opening to the public of the Mianyang base, the fifth site of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas. On its first day of test operation, the complex received 6,300 tourists, consolidating itself as a new pole of attraction and science in Sichuan province, the Argentine News Agency learned.
The center, which has been operating internally since early November, is already home to 20 giant pandas of various ages. According to the base authorities, all specimens—from the youngest to the elderly—have achieved successful adaptation and are in optimal health conditions.
A 120-hectare smart habitat
What distinguishes the Mianyang base from other centers is its integration of cutting-edge technology for animal welfare. The facility features 54 enclosures designed for specific functions such as reproduction, cub rearing, and disease control, all equipped with:
- Smart systems: Automated security alerts and real-time monitoring.
- Precision climate control: Strict control of temperature and humidity to replicate the ideal conditions of the cloud forest.
- Advanced hygiene: A light disinfection system designed to strengthen pandas' immunity.
Despite this technological load, the base maintains a naturalistic aesthetic, with valleys and mountains that mimic the species' wild habitat in southwestern China.
The epicenter of the 'vulnerable' giant
Sichuan is the refuge for 70% of the world's wild panda population, and Mianyang is the city with the largest number of specimens at the prefecture level in the country. This infrastructure effort is part of the strategy that allowed the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to downgrade the panda's status from 'endangered' to 'vulnerable' in 2016.