Nine-year-old Jiaozi is probably the first healthy giant panda in the world to receive a thorough biomedical checkup that involves gastroscopes, X-rays, ultrasounds, cardiograms and biopsies.

But the high-tech devices did not cause Jiaozi too much pain, thanks to the general anesthesia zoologists used to help her lie perfectly still all during the checkup that began last week. Seventeen of her peers are to go through the same process at the giant panda breeding and research base in the southwestern China province of Sichuan.

The checkup, the first comprehensive biomedical test ever to be conducted on the rare species, is being done by some 10 scientists from China and the United States, including zoologists from the US national zoo and zoos in Atlanta and San Diego.

"It's also the first time to use general anesthesia on giant pandas for a health checkup," said Zhang Zhihe, head of the base.

As their examinees are valued as China's national gems, the scientists are very prudent in every move, and spent a whole day discussing details before Jiaozi was brought to the exam room last Thursday.

Zhang said the checkup would help zoologists get first-hand information about panda- specific diseases, including infertility, developmental retardation and some recurrent diseases. "Such information will help us work out better ways to protect giant pandas," he added.

The panda experts will also test the serum of the 18 pandas to screen viruses that lead to murrain, parainfluenza or hepatitis --all highly infectious diseases among pandas.

Experts say none of the existing means of vaccination in China can protect pandas from these diseases.

The serum test would hopefully help the scientists work out more effective means of vaccination for pandas, very likely through genome sequencing, said Zhang.

Hunger is probably the only pain Jiaozi and her peers will have to suffer during the health check. "They have to stop eating 16 hours before the checkup, to ensure accuracy of the test results and avoid suffocation by their own vomit," said Zhang.

All the checkups would be completed within this week, he added.

Founded in 1987, the giant panda breeding and research base in the northern suburbs of the provincial capital Chengdu is home to more than 40 giant pandas. By simulating the wild environment, the base aims to make a comprehensive research of the propagation, breeding and disease prevention and treatment of giant pandas.

The latest report from the forestry administration says China has more than 1,750 giant pandas, including at least 1,590 in the wild -- mostly in the foggy mountains around the Sichuan Basin.

(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2004)