# Return To The Wild



## Rosemary (May 4, 2006)

*Xiang Xiang*​ ​   I just love these wonderful stories about our world’s endangered species given a better chance in life.

   Xiang Xiang, whose name means lucky, and who is four years old, was the first captive-born giant panda has just been released into the wild.

   For more than a quarter of a century the Chinese Government announced that it was ready to put its breeding reserve program to the test.

   Lucky was selected for ‘habitat training’ at the age of two.  At first he was given an area of 2ha to acclimatize to the wide open spaces and then to an area 10 times that amount.  There he was taught how to build a den, to forage for good and to mark his territory.  He can also howl and bite!

   Xiang Xiange, at 1.1, tall and weighing 80kg, has been tagged and his whereabouts are monitored by a GPS satellite.

   There has been a decision to return some of the 180 pandas in captivity around the world to their natural habitat.

   There is a downside to this story however, for the World Wide Fund For Nature has pulled out of the program, saying that the focus on conservation efforts should be on preserving the animals habitat.  A survey in 2004 revealed there were about 1600 pandas in the wild, 500 more than previously thought.  This has raised questions about the immediate need for a breeding program.

   I personally would like to see the continuation of both programs.


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## Adasunshine (May 4, 2006)

Some other good news in this respect...

They have re-introduced some rare White Lions to the wild after years of only ever being seen in captivity.

http://today.reuters.com/tv/videoStory.aspx?isSummitStory=false&storyId=9251e992a673b07410e0b0ffd59b3aba10380aef

xx


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## Rosemary (May 6, 2006)

Let's hope the White Lions and the Panda will survive.  

Lets also pray that someone can find the answer to stopping those who destroy our wildlifes habitat...or am I being naive to think that it is possible?


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## kyektulu (May 6, 2006)

*This is heart warming news Rosie, thank you for bringing it to my attention.*


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## star.torturer (Jun 23, 2006)

i konw its off toppic but i woud love to to live in a prehistoric world. is there any threads that are about this toppic on the forum


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## j d worthington (Jun 23, 2006)

Rosemary said:
			
		

> Lets also pray that someone can find the answer to stopping those who destroy our wildlifes habitat...or am I being naive to think that it is possible?


 
Maybe so; I think it's a dubious proposition, given our shortsightedness; but there seems to be a glimmer of hope in the biodiversity/development talks that are going on concerning opening up Madagascar to programs to help develop the country and actually encourage biodiversity and "safe" environmentalism -- encouraging growing forsests where before they were being chopped down for farmland by making this a way to earn more money via supervised tourism and care of the wildlife therein. It's chancy, but it's a bit of sunshine, anyway. There may have been a more pleasant little imp in that box after all....


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## j d worthington (Jun 23, 2006)

star.torturer said:
			
		

> i konw its off toppic but i woud love to to live in a prehistoric world. is there any threads that are about this toppic on the forum


No, mate, I doubt very seriously you would. You wouldn't survive long enough to be of an age to appreciate it -- none of us would. We're just not tough enough for that sort of environment. But it'd sure be nice to visit....


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## star.torturer (Jun 23, 2006)

i mean more neanderthal style


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## CarlottaVonUberwald (Jun 23, 2006)

the problem in trying to save our nature ( not in this case i would likely to expressly add) 9is it's often hard to tell what would just be us trying to prevent too much human interference and what is us interefering with the natural order.


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## j d worthington (Jun 23, 2006)

star.torturer said:
			
		

> i mean more neanderthal style


Do you mean you'd also be neanderthal, or just living in that world? Because, if the latter, then my observation still applies. They were tough mothers, and they didn't make it!

And CVU, that's a good point, both scientifically and politically....


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## CarlottaVonUberwald (Jun 23, 2006)

i know..occasionally i can be quite bright


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## j d worthington (Jun 23, 2006)

CarlottaVonUberwald said:
			
		

> i know..occasionally i can be quite bright


Now, I thought we were going to let bygones be bygones.....


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## CarlottaVonUberwald (Jun 23, 2006)

lol i like you Jd you present reasoned arguements. and to be quite honest are damned funny... 


my problem is with patronising attitudes..so pet names lol.


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## j d worthington (Jun 23, 2006)

CarlottaVonUberwald said:
			
		

> my problem is with patronising attitudes..so pet names lol.


 
Anent the "pet" names -- wasn't intended as such. It's a peculiarity of Texas speech that people quite frequently refer to people they like or enjoy conversing with as "hon", "sweetie", etc.; so much so that I've had clerks at stores call me that, and I've seen it done with others a lot; I grew up with it, and took it, in this context, to simply be on the level of an enthusiastic greeting, a handshake, that sort of thing. So no patronizing was intended; I just slipped into a fairly common Texan speech pattern. Nonetheless, "perception is everything", so once again, I apologize for any offense given.


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## CarlottaVonUberwald (Jun 23, 2006)

so do people from birmingham lol..and i dont take any of it form them ..but its ok honest i know no malice was intended


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## Rosemary (Jun 24, 2006)

I have just finished reading that Xiang Xiang is surviving well in his new habitat.

Some of our dwindling breeds of native animals are also being cared for in a natural way and then released into their natural habitat.

Hopefully we shall soon be rid of the indroduced fox, rabits, camels and donkeys.  The feral cats are decimating some of our wildlife, as too the wild pigs.


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## j d worthington (Jun 24, 2006)

That's very good news.


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