Back Into The Wild: Pair of Pandas Freed in China

Giant pandas, a symbol of China, are considered to be endangered, with only a little more than 2,000 animals living in the wild. Watch two pandas bred in captivity enjoying the taste of freedom as they are being released back into the wild in southwest China.

Pandas Ba Xi and Ying Xue, a male and a female, have been freed after two years of a survival training program. In this video the clumsy animals are running towards the forest without even looking back, willing to start a new life out in the wild.

Captive breeding programs are critical for the panda population given the low birth rate of these animals in the wild. In spite of all the challenges of breeding giant pandas in captivity, research centers have been making encouraging progress as Ba Xi and Ying Xue are already the second panda pair worldwide released back into the wild after a special survival training course. Both animals were equipped with GPS trackers so scientists could monitor behavior of the captive born pandas in their new environment, which will contribute to further advances in breeding programs.