From: www.newsday.com
May 13, 2008 20:58 Beijing Time
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DUJIANGYAN, China - The fate of the world's most famous panda preserve remained unknown Tuesday, more than a day after a devastating earthquake isolated the remote, mountainous area from the rest of the world.The Wolong National Nature Reserve and panda breeding center is the only place where the rare animals can be seen in such large numbers. Chinese officials and zoo officials overseas were worried about the center's 100 or so pandas, whose home is close to the heart of Monday's massive earthquake in central Sichuan province.Pandas are a distinct symbol of China and the loans of the animals to other countries as peace offerings has been described as "panda politics." Their rarity and slow breeding make any large-scale loss critical to the population."The wild pandas, they can sense things. I'm sure they moved to higher terrain. But captive pandas do not have that luxury. They do not have the skills to survive in the wild," said Suzanne Braden, director of U.S.-based Pandas Internatio...

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