The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries are the home to more than 30% of the world's giant pandas and is among the most important sites for the captive breeding of these pandas. It covers 924,500 ha divided over seven nature reserves. Along with the giant panda, the sanctuary is a refuge to other endangered species such as the red panda, the snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. Outside of the tropical rainforests, it is among the botanically richest sites of the world, and is home to between 5,000 and 6,000 species of flora, of which 42 are species of bamboo.

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The Wolong Nature Reserve is the biggest giant panda nature reserve. It is about 200,000 hectares in the Qionglai Mountains region. There are over 4,000 different species recorded in the reserve and it houses about 150 wild giant pandas. Given the dangerously low numbers and low birth rate of giant pandas in the wild, the reserve's captive breeding programs are essential to sustain the worldwide panda population. While captive breeding programs are essential to the survival of the species, getting pandas to mate and raise healthy cubs in captivity is often a complex process. A female panda has a single estrous cycle once a year, in the spring, for 2 to 7 of those days, and she’s only actually fertile for 24 to 36 hours. This is making it extremely hard to get a panda pregnant. In addition, pandas either lose interest in mating quickly or simply do not know how mate. Therefore, the Wolong Nature Reserve uses artificial insemination often. Artificial insemination is much more precise today with advanced medical technologies and knowledge about hormone levels and behavioral clues.

 

The Wolong Nature Reserve is also planting 5 species of bamboo. Over 90% of their diet consists of bamboo. Not only do the bamboo forests provide food for the pandas, it also provides a habitat to live in. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to find large bamboo forests for the giant pandas. Not only because of human factors and climate change, but also because of natural causes. One of these causes was the devastating 2008 earthquake. There were 63 Giant Pandas at the Wolong Panda Center before the quake. One was killed while another remains missing and one died from illness following the earthquake. Several Giant Pandas had to be rescued from their enclosures and one Giant Panda was significantly injured. It is not known how many wild pandas died. One unconfirmed report said 15 bodies had been found. The bamboo forests were buried under mountainous landslides of rock and mud. Forestry officials have said that about 80 percent of Sichuan’s Giant Panda habitat suffered some degree of damage from the quake. Mud is covering much of the bamboo. Having an adequate food supply has become a critical concern. In addition, slides may be blocking normal migratory corridors for both food and mating. Replanting bamboo in the Wolong Nature Reserve is a major priority today.