The giant panda is among the most revered, adored and recognizable ANIMAL on Earth, but this ancient bear is disappearing quickly. Sadly there are less than 2,000 pandas left in wild and only about 400 in captivity.
Animal Planet's two-hour special PANDA REPUBLIC premieres Tuesday, January 26, from 8-10 PM ET/PT. Narrated by Jack Black, star of DreamWorks Animation's upcoming Kung Fu Panda 3, PANDA REPUBLIC depicts the plight of GIANT PANDAS worldwide and draws attention to two Chinese panda centers dedicated to saving the species. For millions of years, GIANT PANDAS have roamed across Southeast Asia, but now, these GENTLE GIANTS are running out of living space. Without human intervention, pandas will become extinct, so China's cutting-edge panda centers are determined to save these iconic bears through research and shared responsibilities: Bifengxia Panda Center is dedicated to increasing the panda population in captivity; and Wolong Panda Center is committed to breeding these bears to be released back into the wild - its most ambitious mission to date. At Bifengxia, PANDA REPUBLIC spotlights a handful of pregnant pandas that contribute to the center's impressive repopulation mission. Expecting mamas include nine-year-old Sulin; 20-year-old veteran mom (and grandma) Jini; and Shui Xiu who could be carrying twins. Viewers can witness every crucial milestone - from labor to delivery to the touch-and-go moments after the wee, pink, hairless cubs are born. Then, the cameras catch the cubs during captivatingly charming moments, showing some lazily chewing abundant stalks of bamboo while one special bear performs his goofy, three-legged handstands - a way to spray his scent in style.Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
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