32 of 36 newborn Giant Pandas survived in 2014 in China

China was successful in captive breeding of the endangered Giant Pandas last year as 32 of the 36 newborn cubs - including a rare triplets - survived, bringing the total number of pandas to 394.
China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) announced today that 32 of its 36 newborn cubs survived in 2014.
This brings the total number of captive pandas in China to 394, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
CCRCGP has leased 24 of its pandas to nine countries with the latest friendly gesture made in February, when a pair of giant pandas were sent from the centre to their new home in the Pairi Daizi Zoo in Belgium.

Among the most memorable events of 2014 was the birth of the world's only surviving panda triplets.
CCRCGP also released a female panda named Xuexue (snow) in to the wild. It was the fourth captive-bred panda released to the wild, since 2006, the report said.

The centre plans to help more pandas enter the wild in 2015, as 2014 saw the opening of a new panda training centre in Wolong, Sichuan, and work began on another one in Huaying Mountain, Sichuan.
Among the three pandas previously released into the wild, only one died due to fighting with other males. The other two - Tao Tao, a male, was released in 2012, and Zhang Xiang, the elder sister of Xuexue, who was released in 2013 - are both in a sound condition, it said.

Researchers track the animals with the help of GPS collars, radio positioning tools and DNA samples.