Chinese researchers have made significant breakthroughs in the reintroduction of captive-bred giant pandas to the wild in recent years, bolstering broader efforts to conserve the endangered species, authorities said.

Since the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda launched its reintroduction research in 2003, the center has developed a mother-led cub training method to teach survival skills in the wild, a technical system for tracking individual pandas' movement and health, and a post-release surveillance and management mechanism.

Giant panda Tao Tao alongside his mother, Cao Cao, in a wild training enclosure. (Photo: China Daily)

To date, 11 pandas have been reintroduced into the wild, with nine successfully surviving, resulting in an average survival rate of about 81.8 percent, the center said recently.

Among the successfully released pandas, seven have integrated into a wild subspecies under threat of extinction in the Xiaoxiangling Mountain range, and the remaining two have joined a subspecies in the Minshan Mountains.

Giant panda Tao Tao inside a wild training enclosure. (Photo: China Daily)

The first giant panda released under the center's mother-led cub approach, named Tao Tao, was born in August 2010 and released into the Liziping Nature Reserve in October 2012, now marking 14 years of successfully living in the wild.

"These results signify that we have, for the first time, realized the goal of returning captive-bred pandas to the wild, where they have survived, reproduced, and revitalized a small, endangered wild population in their natural habitat," the center said, adding that the effort also provides insights for the reintroduction of other large mammals.

The center said giant panda reintroduction research will continue to deepen, and more captive-bred pandas are expected to be released in the future.

Official data shows that there are nearly 1,900 giant pandas living in the wild in China, with more than 800 in captivity.

Since its establishment in 2021, the Giant Panda National Park is now home to nearly 1,400 wild giant pandas.