Wild giant pandas will receive emergency medical care with the launch of aid posts in the Dafengding Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, southwest China.

The local government has invested 11.06 million yuan (US$1.35 million) setting up aid posts in Dafengding, the largest nature reserve in China.

Since most parts of the reserve are covered with dense forest, and few people live in the area, the giant pandas could not be helped when they were sick or hungry, said an official surnamed Deng with the wild animal protection department of the provincial forestry bureau.

A survey conducted by the State Forestry Administration early this year showed that the number of wild giant pandas in Dafengding had been increasing rapidly since 1986 due to better environmental protection and upgraded infrastructure construction.

Giant pandas are one of the most precious endangered animal species in the world, and are regarded as "living fossils".

Only about 1,000 wild giant pandas remain in the world, and most live in the mountains of Sichuan.

Established in 1978, the Dafengding Nature Reserve stretches over 400 square km in Mabian Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southern Sichuan, and is home to over 30 wild giant pandas.

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2003)