China sets up 64 habitats for giant pandas

China has established 64 nature reserves for giant pandas, the world's most endangered species. Zhang Xiwu, director of Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserve Management Division of State Forestry Administration (SFA), said that about 1,600 pandas live in the wild in China, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, China's western hinterland. While more than 300 live in captivity in zoos, the SFA official added. The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary, home to more than 30% of the world?s population of giant Panda, constitutes the largest and most significant remaining contiguous area of panda habitat in the world. The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan province, but also in the Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. The panda is a conservation reliant endangered species. While the dragon has often served as China's national emblem, internationally the panda appears at least as commonly. As such, it is becoming widely used within China in international contexts, for example the five Fuwa mascots of the Beijing Olympics. The giant panda typically lives around 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity. The recorded age of the oldest captive, a female named Ming Ming, is 34.