Population of captive pandas reaches 520 worldwide

Giant panda cubs are seen at the Ya'an Bifengxia base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Xue Yubin)

The population of captive giant pandas has reached 520 worldwide, according to the China giant panda breeding technology committee at its annual conference Tuesday.

As of early October, 63 captive panda cubs had been born in China, France, the United States, Japan, Spain, Belgium and Austria this year, 58 of which survived, bringing the population of captive giant pandas to 520, according to the committee

Besides Chinese scientists, 69 overseas experts from 13 countries participated in panel discussions at the conference, discussing giant panda conservation, breeding and reintroduction to the wild.

"China has achieved initial results in captive-bred pandas' wildness training and the rejuvenation of sub-populations," said Xie Zhong, vice chairman of the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens.

He said that with the creation of giant panda national parks, the release of more pandas into the wild, and further scientific research, the various sub-populations of giant pandas would eventually be restored.