Shanghai Wild Animal Park announced Wednesday that it is looking for a life-long partner for its only fertile giant panda, Guo Qing.

Five-year-old Guo Qing, is one of the three giant pandas living at the zoo. The other two, Chuan Chuan and Jia Si, are both aged over 20, which normally marks the end of a panda's reproductive life, said Su Feilong, head of the zoo's development department.

Born in the famous Wolong-based China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in 1999, Guo Qing was in his reproductive prime, said Sun Qiang, who has cared for Guo Qing since he moved to Shanghai when he was two years old.

"He eats a lot, sleeps well and is so energetic that he often climbs to the top of a tree about five meters tall. The latest physical examination shows the 120-kg creature is in very good condition, ready to be a father," said Sun.

Sun said the zoo was searching for a female panda of similar age and weight.

"We will take good care of the couple and try our best to make the female feel at home here," said Sun.

The giant panda is one of the most endangered species in the world. Only about 1,000 giant pandas are estimated to live in the wild, all of them in China, and over 140 live in captivity around the world.

(Shanghai Daily March 4, 2004)