Test-tube panda released into the wild

Four-year-old Xiang Xiang made history on Friday when he wandered into a southwestern Chinese forest, becoming the first artificially raised giant panda to be released into the wild, state press said.

Xiang Xiang, which means "auspicious" in Chinese, was born at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan province, where he grew up alongside 102 other members of the critically endangered species.

After three years of training to ensure he could survive in the wild, Xiang Xiang was released into his natural habitat — the mountainous forests of the Wolong area in Sichuan province — on Friday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

It was the first time a giant panda born and raised in captivity had been released into the wild, Xinhua said.

"The move marks a significant change in saving the endangered species by training the pandas to live in the wild before releasing them," the report said.

Xiang Xiang was outfitted with a global positioning system device, which will allow veterinarians at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center to monitor his progress.

His experience "will help scientists study how artificially raised pandas adapt to the wild," Zhang Hemin, the center's head, was quoted as saying.

Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered species, with an estimated 1,590 living in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, according to Chinese studies.

Just over 180 more pandas, including those at Wolong, are in research centers in China, with a handful of others around the world in zoos.