China fights to save giant pandas from deadly virus

Last SlideNext SlideA giant panda eats bamboo at the Beijing Zoo on Jan. 13, 2015.(Photo: Wu Hong, EPA)BEIJING — Chinese authorities are imposing an emergency ban on tourists approaching pandas after two died recently from a measles-like virus.Another panda in northwest China's Shanxi province remains in critical condition with the canine distemper virus, and 21 others have been dispatched to other parts of the country as a safety precaution."Canine distemper is a fatal disease for pandas, with the death rate as high as 80%," Wang Chengdong, director of the animal hospital at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan province, told China Daily.All panda reserves must increase sterilization of facilities, increase physical check-ups of staff, and reduce contact between pandas and staff who have pets at home, the State Forestry Administration ordered late last week.
"If a panda catches flu, other pandas fall victim, too," said Pu Anning, of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest Sichuan province. The virus is also deadly in dogs and other canine family members.Sadly, there is no effective treatment to combat the virus, according to veterinarian Jin Yipeng."What we need to do most is to win time for the panda's immune system to recover to a level strong enough to resist the virus," he said, according to CNN.The black-and-white bears, unique to China, have long starred in its diplomatic efforts to win friends and influence nations. First lady Michelle Obama even enjoyed the privilege of holding a panda during her China visit last year.
Considered a national treasure in China, pandas remain vulnerable as their natural habitat has been greatly reduced by human settlement. Picky about their food and notoriously disinterested in mating, less than 2,000 pandas remain in the wild. Chinese efforts to breed them in captivity have proved successful.Thirty-two of the nation's baby pandas survived in 2014, the forestry administration announced last month. Officials have also stepped up efforts to release more pandas into the wild.Europe anti-terrorism raids lead to dozens of arrestsJan 16, 2015