Giant pandas in breeding centers safe

BEIJING, May 14 (UPI) -- The earthquake in China's southwest Sichuan province, which killed more than 12,000 people, appears to have spared the breeding centers for the giant pandas.

All 86 pandas at the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center had been transported to a safer place after the quake struck Monday, Xinhua reported. Wolong is about 19 miles from Wenchuan, the quake's epicenter.

The animals, considered extremely endangered, include "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan," which are to be taken to Taiwan soon.

"At present, Wolong is still largely out of reach by roads or telecommunications. We only had a brief telephone conversation with the Wolong side which was soon cut off," Xiong Beirong with the provincial forestry department told Xinhua Wednesday.

Pandas being raised at other research centers also were unharmed, the report said.

However, the safety of the more than 1,590 pandas living in the wild in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, wasn't immediately known, the report said.