Pandering to the Panda?

The Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a 'flagship species', providing the logo for the WWF. It has been recently reported (although he probably died in early January 2007) that the body of Xiang Xiang a 'pioneer' 80kg male released in April 2006 into a mountainous region in SW Sichuan Province has been found. This male had had three years of pre-release training in den making and food gathering (but not fighting?) as well as being fitted with a radio transmitter. Xiang Xiang had apparently been injured in a fight (probably with wild rivals) in December 2006 but after veterinary treatment was re-released essentially in the same region. His death appears to have resulted from yet more conflict with other males as he had broken ribs and damaged internal organs. Xiang Xiang was a 'pioneer' in the sense that he was the first captive bred Giant panda to be released by the panda research centre at Wolong (http://www.globio.org/about/visualarc/wildOrphans/wolong/wnr1.shtml) in an attempt to increase the numbers of wild pandas. This outcome confirms that this kind of release programme is not an easy option (especially if animals are released into areas that are already occupied and species are territorial). The Wolong centre intend to next try releasing a captive bred female as, it is argued, she is less likely to be rejected by the current residents.