A wild panda who was found injured in China has died, a Chinese conservation and research centre said today.
About four years old and 44 kg in weight, the male panda was found by a villager in Baoxing County in Sichuan Province on Thursday. It was suffering injuries to its ear, back, leg and tail, the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Pandas said.
The panda died yesterday after treatment proved unsuccessful, including removal of dead or damaged tissue and use of a breathing machine, according to the base staff.
The panda had likely been attacked by other animals, said Huang Yan, deputy chief engineer at the center, adding that a normal four-year-old panda should weigh over 70 kg.
Wild pandas have long faced survival challenges such as attacks by other animals and man-made destruction of habitat.
They are especially likely to face attacks by predators during the mating season in April and May, Huang said.
