Date:19/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/19/stories/2008051951412000.htm

International

Pandas missing after quake

BEIJING: Three giant pandas raised at the Wolong Nature Reserve, about 30 km from the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake in China, are missing, the State Forestry Administration confirmed on Sunday.

The earthquake killed five staff members in the reserve and left all the panda houses severely damaged, the latest report from the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre said.

Of the total 32 panda houses, 14 were destroyed and the others were severely damaged. “The first batch of bamboo, apples, and medicine for the pandas, as well as food and the tents urgently needed by the staff arrived at the Wolong Reserve on Saturday night,” said spokesman Cao Qingyao. — Xinhua