The video explores the fascinating conservation success story of the giant panda, emphasizing its symbolic importance to China and its journey from being endangered to now vulnerable. The giant panda, a national symbol beloved for its cute appearance, was nearing extinction but was saved through dedicated conservation efforts. China has spent decades perfecting the breeding of pandas in captivity, leading to significant accomplishments in maintaining panda populations. However, challenges remain in reintroducing these pandas back into the wild due to various obstacles like high mortality rates after release.

The importance of pandas and the conservation efforts of Chinese scientists are highlighted by the demand for sustainable breeding programs and understanding panda biology. Experts like those from the Smithsonian Institution are involved in these efforts, working on captive breeding, panda health, and preparing these bears to adapt to the wild. Unique challenges include dietary needs, low reproductive rates, and maintaining the pandas’ survival genetics. This work showcases the intricate dance between human intervention and natural adaptation, aiming for the pandas’ well-being both in captivity and potential rewilding.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] - (adjective) - Difficult to find, catch or achieve. - Synonyms: (evasive, slippery, unreachable)

But they were so elusive. In the high mountains of China, pandas weren't discovered by western naturalists until 1869.

2. solitary [ˈsɑːlɪˌtɛri] - (adjective) - Existing or living alone; secluded or isolated. - Synonyms: (alone, isolated, hermitic)

If these bears were in the wild, they'd be rare and solitary.

3. patriotism [ˈpeɪtriəˌtɪzəm] - (noun) - Devoted love, support, and defense of one's country. - Synonyms: (nationalism, loyalty, allegiance)

A selfie with China's national symbol is a tap of patriotism.

4. propagate [ˈprɑːpəˌɡeɪt] - (verb) - To breed specimens by natural processes from the parent stock. - Synonyms: (breed, multiply, proliferate)

The Smithsonian has helped propagate pandas since China sent Richard Nixon home with a pair in 1972.

5. camouflage [ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ] - (noun) - The method or result of concealing personnel or equipment from an enemy by making it appear to be part of the natural surroundings. - Synonyms: (disguise, concealment, masking)

It's a mechanism to protect themselves, like many, many other animals out there that are black and white, or various different colors. It's camouflage.

6. geriatrics [ˌdʒɛriˈætrɪks] - (noun) - The branch of medicine or social science dealing with the health and care of old people. - Synonyms: (elder care, senior care, aged medicine)

It's gone so well that a new area of research has opened. Panda geriatrics.

7. anesthetized [ænˈɛsθəˌtaɪzd] - (verb) - To administer an anesthetic to, especially to make someone unconscious or unable to feel pain. - Synonyms: (numbed, sedated, put under)

It really helps us as veterinary animals from having to be anesthetized and allows the animal to be an active participant in their health.

8. ecological [ˌiːkəˈlɑːdʒɪkəl] - (adjective) - Relating to the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms. - Synonyms: (environmental, green, natural)

Meaning that the care that we provide for the pandas and the tracks of land that we preserve will also save a whole multitude of other species that also need our care that a lot of people don't even know about.

9. acclimatizing [əˈklaɪməˌtaɪzɪŋ] - (verb) - To adjust or adapt to a new climate, environment, or situation. - Synonyms: (adjusting, adapting, familiarizing)

So acclimatizing them to a very different situation is an important phase before full release.

10. bamboo [bæmˈbuː] - (noun) - A giant woody grass that constitutes the primary diet of pandas. - Synonyms: none (specific plant name)

99% of their diet in the wild is bamboo.

A rare look inside a giant panda nursery - 60 Minutes Archive

Chinese call them shang mao, meaning bear that looks like a cat. The adjective they use is meng, which translates cute like a baby. Until recently, the giant panda was on its way to extinction. But then it was saved by its one evolutionary advantageous it's adorable.

In 2016, the pandas conservation status was upgraded from endangered to just vulnerable. Because the giant panda is China's national symbol, the Chinese have worked four decades to perfect breeding the bears in captivity. They've achieved one of the biggest successes in conservation. But there is more work to do. The next step is introducing captive pandas into the wild. That research slowed after a few freed bears were found dead. And as you're about to see, no Chinese scientists can afford to lose even one baby.

Cute cat bear. Giant pandas have been chewing bamboo for about 3 million years. But they were so elusive. In the high mountains of China, pandas weren't discovered by western naturalists until 1869. Today, their fans know where to find them. Each morning, humans compete for position at the Qingdu research base of giant panda breeding in central China. A ticket is about $8. Some days there are 100,000 visitors. So, yes, that's $800,000 a day. But the experience is priceless.

If these bears were in the wild, they'd be rare and solitary. They would be in alpine forests as high as 13,000ft. And we saw about 30ft up how they went unnoticed for so long. At the research base. Each bear is known by name, liked online and wrapped in the flag. A selfie with China's national symbol is a tap of patriotism.

When I'm out on the street and if anybody asks me about what I do, I tell them I work with Gian Pendis. They immediately thank me and then they follow it up with that is our national treasure. Enriching the treasure is the work of Mark Valetudo, a wildlife veterinarian from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, on loan to the Chengdu research base, Hanjongyao. And so what we see here is actually a normal, healthy panda lung and a normal, healthy panda heart.

The Smithsonian has helped propagate pandas since China sent Richard Nixon home with a pair in 1972. Back then, China barely had two to spare. By the 1980s, there were only about 1200 left in China's bamboo forests, which humans were cutting down. Is bamboo the only thing they eat? 99% of their diet in the wild is bamboo. A forest is delivered every day to the Chengdu base. The common name panda means bamboo eater.

But because this member of the grass family is so low, in nutrition, each bear spends up to 16 hours a day shredding 40 pounds of leaves and stems, and that is hardly enough to keep him alive. So the rest of the day, the bears burn as few calories as possible. Even mating is incredibly rare. Only once a year can a female be prepared for breeding. And that is within a very small three day window. A female panda is capable of breeding three days a year. Exactly. Very small time. A very small time for a very small bear.

And how old are these cubs? One month. Doctor Wu Konju told us when these cubs are newborn, they average about 4oz, the size of a stick of butter. And how many cubs do you bring into the world in a year? This year is five. Five babies. Of the five cubs that are born here this year, how many do you expect to survive? All. All of them. About half the time, pandas have twins, but the mother can't care for both.

In the wild, the smaller, the weaker twin will be left off to die because the mother doesn't have enough energy to produce the amount of milk that's required for two babies. But in captivity, twins are fed in the nursery, and with a touch, mom is called to duty to nurse the twins one at a time, so both survive. The cub's eyes won't open for about six weeks, so mother helps him to her breast. And like every nursing mom, a change of position helps, especially when her back is killing her.

The cubs are dependent up to three years. She'll raise only five or maybe eight in her lifetime. How big do they become? So the females can be up to maybe around 200 pounds and the males up to 300 pounds. Why are they black and white? You know, that's a very interesting question. It's a mechanism to protect themselves, like many, many other animals out there that are black and white, or various different colors. It's camouflage. You know, pandas love the snow, so the white parts really help them hide in the snow, whereas the black would be presumptive of shadows.

The panda is a curious bear. In the last century, many biologists didn't think it belonged in the bear family. Pandas don't hibernate, and though they're virtual vegetarians, they have the digestive tract of a carnivore panda. Nutrition was a mystery when Doctor Hau Rong came here nearly 30 years ago. She's director of research and told us that the base started as a shelter for injured pandas that had been rescued. There were very few pandas, she said all of them were seriously ill, close to impossible to breed we were also broke. I was the only scientist. You had a dozen pandas?

Yes. How many do you have now? Now it's 200. 200 healthy pandas have grown from the research into nutrition and understanding those fleeting female hormones. It's gone so well that a new area of research has opened. Panda geriatrics. The bears live about 20 years in the wild, but up to 35 in the company of Mandev.

In 1937, a leading American naturalist described the giant panda as an extremely stupid beast, dull and primitive. But Mark Valetudo showed us pandas understand commands. The whistle signals something good is about to happen, generally involving apple slices. Then, on cue, the bear volunteered its arm through the bars to a metal tray and gripped a handle. It's having a blood test.

All of the pandas, the adult pandas here, are trained specifically to offer their arm for a blood sample. It really helps us as veterinary animals from having to be anesthetized and allows the animal to be an active participant in their health. And that's it. I've seen people throw a bigger fuss than he did. They're incredibly complex creatures, just like many other bear species or carnivorous species, like dogs and cats. Like dogs, pandas come at the sound of their name.

They know their day will start with apples and continue at the endless bamboo buffet. But success in captivity does not necessarily mean salad days. For the species to thrive genetically, they must come home to the wild. This is really an exciting time because they're doing so well in captivity and we can really consider them.

That's not so for the wild populations. Melissa Songer is a Smithsonian conservation biologist working at the foot of Mount Ching Chong, near the center of China. This is the Chengdu Field Research center, and most people know it as Panda Valley, and it was established for the purpose of preparing captive pandas for release into the wild. One of the amazing things that we saw is how well trained they are.

But it strikes me that that's a blessing and a curse. They don't have the opportunity to learn how to find food or defend against predators. Even mating is very complex in the wild. So, yes, they're highly trained, but they aren't really trained to be in the wild. Then do you train them to be wild? And if so, how do you do that?

They're not going to be fed. They're going to have to move around and find food and taking it step by step. So acclimatizing them to a very different situation is an important phase before full release. Like sending the kids off to college. Yeah, exactly.

The story will continue after this, there are fewer than 2000 wild pandas living in only three mountainous provinces of China. They're segregated into small groups, cut off from one another by roads, farms and villages. About half of those populations are less than ten pandas. And so that kind of puts them at risk for losing genetic diversity. It puts them at risk for other events, natural disasters, diseases that might come through. So it's a dangerous number.

To reduce the danger, two research bases are testing competing ideas. One, from a research station called Wulong, minimizes contact with people to the point of dressing the trainers in panda suits that are scented with panda urine, so the bears don't even get a whiff of humanity. The other approach encourages the human relationship in case a panda needs to be rescued. While the bears walk on the wild side, they're monitored with radio collars in case they get into trouble.

So far, 14 pandas have been released. Three have died. But those few failures have slowed the research. Because if a panda is killed, it's not just some bear, it's a bear with a name and a million likes on its webpage. Anytime you release a captive animal to the wild, you're taking a risk and you prepare as best you can. But there are things you can't really prepare for. One of the pandas who died was attacked by dogs.

Another appears to have fallen from a tree. The captive born pandas take longer to establish territory, but for the most part, they fit in. China says it will soon spend more than a billion dollars on a 10,000 square mile Panda National Reserve to connect those pockets of wild bears. It suggests that species can be saved. It absolutely does.

But more than that, what's even better than the survivability of this species is that they are an umbrella species. Meaning that the care that we provide for the pandas and the tracks of land that we preserve will also save a whole multitude of other species that also need our care that a lot of people don't even know about. Which raises a fair question. If a multitude of species is saved, if climate benefits from 5 million acres of forest reserve, are we saving the panda or is the panda saving us?

Conservation, Wildlife, Panda, Science, Education, China, 60 Minutes