Wolong National Nature Reserve

The most famous of all the Giant Panda research centers and sanctuaries, Wolong was established in 1963 and is the oldest park dedicated to the protection of the Giant Panda. In 1980 Wolong was designated a UNESCO site and over the years has also received considerable donations from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

     Located in the beautiful Wolong Valley it is only a three hour drive from Chengdu and offers a beautifullandscape, not only for the pandas to live in but for you to admire as well. The Wolong National Nature Reserve spans about 500 acres, houses over 150 Giant Pandas and has successfully bred 66 panda cubs.  Every year The Wolong National Nature Reserve leases pandas to zoos around the world in an effort to not only let the rest of the world see a panda in real life, but also to help improve cultural and political ties between countries.

     Not only does the Wolong Nature reserve house pandas, they also are home to many other endangered species including the red panda, the golden monkey, the white-lipped deer, the gnu, and many plants as well. In total the reserve is said to have around 4000 endangered species of plants and animals.

     Unfortunately the May 12th, 2008 earthquake in Sichuan devastated the Wolong Nature Reserve. Since the earthquake, the Wolong Nature Reserve has been closed to tourists and is under massive reconstruction. Many of the Giant Pandas have been temporarily relocated to other locations and a few zoos have been kind enough to lease a few extra to help pay for the reconstruction of the Wolong Nature Reserve.