Jiangxi province plans to free range giant pandas in Fuzhou city, which will become the second free-range area for the vulnerable animal in China after Sichuan province.

A panda rests in a tree at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China's Sichuan province. (Photo: China Daily)

The news was announced by Chen Xiaoping, vice-governor of the eastern province, and Chen Fengxue, president of China Wildlife Conservation Association, at a press conference on Wednesday, jxnews.com.cn reported.

The plan has been given preliminary approval by relevant authorities, they said.

The China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Wolong, Sichuan, has already made some progress in free ranging and reintroducing captive-bred giant pandas into the wild. So far, the center has released 11 giant pandas into the wild, nine of which survived.