原来大熊猫很能跑！最快每小时40公里，比人快多了……

世界上有两种大熊猫：一种生活在动物园和研究中心——也就是你可能见过的；另一种生活在野外——也就是野生大熊猫，很少有人真正见到过。

There are two kinds of giant pandas in the world: One kind lives in zoos and research centers — the ones most often seen by the public; the other kind lives in the wild — that is, wild pandas, which few people have ever seen.

在保护和研究中心里出生的大熊猫，因为从小就和人亲近，衣食无忧，它们往往看起来又呆又萌，温柔可爱——这也是大多数人对大熊猫的印象。

而大家可能不知道的是，大熊猫其实是标准的野兽。

它们的体重可以达到100公斤以上，体型很大，两岁以后几乎没有天敌；咬合力很强，在熊类中仅次于北极熊；爪子很锋利，在爬树的时候可以直接插进树干，把自己的身体挂在树上；虽然主要以竹子为食，但也吃肉类，属于杂食性动物；行动虽不算敏捷但也有比较强的奔跑能力，最快可以达到每小时40公里，比人是快多了……

What many people don't know is that giant pandas in the wild are actually standard beasts — they can weigh more than 100 kilograms, are very large, and have few natural predators after the age of 2. They have strong bites, second only to polar bears. Their claws are very sharp, and when climbing trees, they can plug them directly into the trunks and even dangle. Although they mainly rely on bamboo for food, they are omnivorous animals and also eat meat. And though they are not agile, they can run much faster than people, up to 40 kilometers per hour.

所以，如果真的有人“有幸”在野外见到一只“憨厚可爱”的大熊猫，第一反应最好是“快跑”。

So, if someone is really lucky enough to see a "cute" panda in the wild, the first reaction had better be "run".

圈养的大熊猫和野生大熊猫之间原本没有交集。因为，在人类的精心呵护下长大的大熊猫，在性情、野外生存能力方面都会有变化，也就不再适合回归野外生活了。我国目前共有670多只圈养大熊猫，其中，半数以上都由中国大熊猫保护研究中心照顾着。

There used to be no interaction between captive and wild pandas, because under human care, captive ones develop a different temperament and lose the ability to survive in the wild. China currently has more than 670 giant pandas raised in captivity, and more than half of them are cared for by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

摄影：闫东洁

而根据对粪便等活动痕迹以及DNA数据的追踪推算，在我国四川、陕西、甘肃三省，生活着将近2000只野生大熊猫，其中，1300多只都在四川。

卧龙核桃坪基地的饲养员何胜山说，野生大熊猫的栖息地范围比较广，因此熊猫被分割成了33个族群。

According to fecal and DNA data, there are nearly 2,000 wild pandas living in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, of which more than 1,300 are in Sichuan.

He Shengshan, a breeder at the Wolong Hetaoping Base, said that wild pandas have a wide range of habitats, so they are divided into 33 groups.

他说：“这就相当于人类的村庄、部落。有的大族群可能有几百只野生大熊猫，小族群可能只有几十只。我们经过调查发现，在33个族群中，不满30只的小族群就有22个。族群和族群之间没有任何的联系，大熊猫的迁徙能力本来就很差，再加上有高山，有人类的活动、高速公路和铁轨等，它们就没有办法相互交流，小种群随着时间的推移还是有灭绝的危险。”

"This is similar to human villages or tribes. Some large groups in the wild may have hundreds of pandas, while smaller groups may have only a few dozen. After investigation, we found that among the 33 groups, 22 of them have fewer than 30 giant pandas. Pandas are already bad at migrating, and mountains, human activities, highways and railway tracks make it even more difficult for giant panda groups to communicate with each other, so those with small populations are still at risk of extinction over time."

摄影：闫东洁

没有交流就没有基因的交互。对于中国大熊猫保护研究中心的专家来说，熊猫的繁育，特别是优生优育是一大课题，而另一个重要课题，就是如何让圈养的大熊猫和野生的大熊猫之间有基因的交流，更好地保护大熊猫的基因多样性。

No communication means no genetic interaction. For experts at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, panda breeding, especially eugenics, is a major topic. Another important challenge is how to facilitate gene exchange between captive and wild pandas to better ensure genetic diversity.

何胜山说，为了达到这个目的，一般有两种方式，一是野外引种——也就是在大熊猫发情的季节，把圈养的母熊猫带到大熊猫保护区的野外，吸引野生公熊猫前来交配；另一种就是野外放归——就是从母熊猫怀孕起，就让他们生活在半野生的、面积很大的饲养圈中，最大程度地降低人类的影响，从而让小熊猫出生后具备自理的能力，等他们长到两岁左右，再把它们放归到野外生活。

He Shengshan said there are usually two ways to achieve this. One is to introduce captive female pandas into the wild in the panda reserve when they are in heat to attract wild males to mate with them. The other is wild reintroduction — the practice of placing female pandas in semi-wild, large enclosures from the time they become pregnant to minimize human influence so that they can take care of themselves once the babies are born and then release the babies into the wild when they are about 2 years old.

摄影：闫东洁

放归训练是一个漫长的过程，从熊猫宝宝出生前就开始了，主要分为两个阶段，第一阶段是从母熊猫怀孕到熊猫幼崽一岁左右，第二阶段是从熊猫幼崽一岁到两岁左右。

Release training is a long process that starts before the baby panda is born and is mainly divided into two stages. The first stage is from the mother panda's pregnancy until the baby panda is about a year old, and the second stage is from 1 year old of the baby panda to about 2 years old.

何胜山说：“我们采用母兽带崽的方式进行野化培训。我们把怀孕的母熊猫放在一阶段训练圈里，面积一般是2000-3000平方米，母熊猫会在这里自主选择一个安全的角落生崽。然后，我们负责监测并保证母熊猫的健康状况，并给母熊猫提供一些食物和营养，而照顾幼崽的工作尽量由母熊猫独立完成。”

He Shengshan said, "We use the mother animal approach to carry out training for the wild. We put pregnant female pandas in the first stage of the training circle. The area is generally 2,000 to 3,000 square meters, and the female panda will choose a safe corner here to give birth. Then, we monitor and ensure the health of the mother panda and give her some food and, while the caring of the cubs is done independently by the mother bear as much as possible."

摄影：闫东洁

特别有趣的是，为了避免熊猫宝宝产生“印痕行为”，饲养员每次给母熊猫投喂食物的时候，都会穿上一套熊猫伪装服，并且给鞋底消毒、给衣服上喷上熊猫粪便和尿液的提取物，让大熊猫妈妈身上完全没有人类的气味和痕迹，保证熊猫宝宝的生存环境和野外保持一致。

In order to avoid the imprint behavior of pandas, the keepers put on panda suits every time they feed the mother panda. They also sterilize the soles of their shoes and spray extracts of panda feces and urine on their clothes so that the mother panda is completely free of human scents and traces. These efforts help ensure that the living environment of the baby pandas remains the same as that of the wild.

网上流传甚广的“熊猫人”图片，工作人员穿上熊猫套装照料参与野化的大熊猫

由于大熊猫的怀孕周期比较短，一般只有四、五个月，熊猫宝宝出生的时候还没有发育完全，是粉嫩嫩的。它们要长到两周以后才慢慢睁开眼睛，两个月左右才能听到声音，4个月左右才能会爬，而这个过程中，全靠熊猫妈妈的奶水和照顾生存。

Because the gestation period of the giant panda is relatively short — generally only four or five months — the baby panda is not fully developed when born, and is pink and tender. It takes about two weeks for them to open their eyes, two months to hear, and four months to crawl, all while surviving on their mother's milk and care.

大熊猫的上肢比较短，它们携带幼崽不是很方便，特别是在野生环境下，遇到危险时，它们往往只能转移一只幼崽，所以，大熊猫的生育率不高，这也是大熊猫种群数量比较低的最主要原因之一。

The upper limbs of giant pandas are relatively short, so it is not very convenient for them to carry cubs. When there is danger in the wild, they can only carry one cub to escape, meaning any others will be left behind. Therefore, the fertility rate of giant pandas is not high, which is one of the main reasons for the relatively low population of giant pandas.

摄影：闫东洁

在两岁之前，在野外环境中，熊猫宝宝的天敌包括野猪、黑熊、蛇，还有一些凶猛的鸟类等，而随着他们的体型越来越大，它们也变得越来越安全。

Until age 2, wild baby pandas are vulnerable to wild boars, black bears, snakes and predatory birds. They become less vulnerable as they grow larger.

所以，二阶段的培训圈几乎和野外的环境完全一致，有高大的乔木和灌丛，也有野猪等野生动物。研究中心会设置一些监测摄像头等，观察熊猫母子的生活状态。

The training circle in the second stage is almost exactly the same as the wild environment, featuring tall trees and shrubs, as well as wild animals such as wild boar. The center will set up surveillance cameras and other devices to see how the mother and baby are doing.

摄影：闫东洁

从2010年“野外放归”计划开始以来，在位于四川省汶川县的卧龙核桃坪基地，研究人员一共放归了10只大熊猫，其中9只都成功地存活了下来。这为熊猫种群的优秀基因传递、种群遗传质量提升等都起到了重要的作用。

At the Wolong Hetaoping Base in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, 10 pandas have been released since the program began in 2010, and nine have survived. It plays an important role in the gene transfer and improvement of genetic quality of China’s panda population.

中国日报绿色中国工作室

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