CHINA:Scientists have announced the discovery of the body of five-year-old Xiang Xiang lying in the snow in a remote part of the Wolong nature reserve.
He had broken ribs and suffered internal injuries, and conservation experts believe the world's only artificially bred panda living in the wild fell from a tree after a fight with jealous wild pandas.
The death of Xiang Xiang, whose name translates as "lucky", just months after he was set free is a major setback for those trying to conserve endangered species with their release back into the wild.
Li Desheng, deputy director of the Wolong centre, said: "We chose Xiang Xiang because we thought that a strong male panda would have a better chance of surviving in the harsh natural environment, but the other pandas clearly saw Xiang Xiang as a threat.
"Next time," he said, "we will choose a female panda."
China's state forestry administration estimates there are 1,590 pandas in the wild - mainly in the mountains of Sichuan - and another 210 in captivity.
Xiang Xiang was found on February 19th, 40 days after scientists picked up his trace for the last time via a tracking device. The centre explained the delay in announcing his death, saying they needed to carry out a full examination.
Xiang Xiang had no fighting experience, having grown up in captivity. Scientists believe he got into a fight with wild males over food or for encroaching on their territory. In December, when he was found with bites on his back, shoulders and sides, he was taken back to the centre for treatment and returned to the wild a week later.
The programme to train captive-bred pandas to live in the wild began in 2003. Senior vets at the centre are now considering giving pandas self-defence training before sending them into the wild.
Zhang Hemin, head of the centre at Wolong, said: "We are all sad about Xiang Xiang, but it does not mean the project has failed.
"The lessons we have learned from what happened to Xiang Xiang will help us adapt and improve the project."