March 1, 2009 Chinese Pandas find new sanctuary after earthquake Play video

(NECN/CCTV) - Thirteen baby pandas born after the devastating earthquake that hit China's Sichuan Province last May were on Saturday brought to a sanctuary and protection center which aims to "teach" the pandas how to survive life in the wild once they are released.

State television on Saturday showed footage of the pandas - all between seven and five months old - playing in the sanctuary or "panda kindergarten" at Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province.

Luo Bo, a worker at the Bifengxia Panda Base, said that the pandas were now being fed on a diet of milk, apples, carrots and bamboo.

A total of 54 pandas were brought to the Bifengxia Panda Center after the earthquake damaged the Wolong Nature Reserve, China's main panda breeding centre.

Wolong, tucked in the lush mountains of Sichuan province, was close to the epicenter of the earthquake and sustained extensive damage.

Most of its 63 pandas had to be moved after the quake because of the threat of landslides and other hazards.

The 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan province on May 12 2008, killing nearly 70-thousand people and leaving at least five (m) million homeless, according to official figures.

The following story and video is from CCTV.