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Pandas forced out of sanctuary

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All but seven of the 63 giant pandas at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre will be temporarily evacuated from the site of the nation's biggest breeding programme following the devastation caused by the May 12 earthquake.

The Sichuan research base, 30km from the quake epicentre, was a popular tourist attraction before the tremor destroyed much of the site, killing five employees and at least one panda. Post-quake threats including landslides, aftershocks and supply shortages have forced the centre to move most of the animals.

Li Desheng , a deputy director of the centre, said the decision to evacuate was made because the threat to them and their keepers was too great and main roads to the centre had been blocked by landslides.

'We have to move the pandas to safety since there are still aftershocks here time and again. One panda has died, and one is still missing,' he said.

'Transport is another problem. Before, we could travel through Yingxiu county to other areas. But now people have to drive at least 500km farther to reach the centre.'

Mr Li said only 28 pandas were left at Wolong yesterday and the others had been taken to nearby breeding centres or temporary homes much farther away in the east and south, such as Chengdu and Fuzhou in Fujian province .

'We will keep moving the rest of the pandas to other safe places soon, and only seven pandas will stay here in the end,' he said.

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