Treating giant pandas: an unusual advanced role for the gastroenterologist
Giant pandas are captivating animals with worldwide interest. Their distinctive colour, furriness and slow, swaggering, lifestyle may be some of the reasons why people love them (figure 1A–C). Fewer than 1900 pandas remain in their natural habitats according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. However, in 2016, as a major success of conservation efforts, the IUCN announced a downgrading of the protection status of the giant panda from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’. Figure 1 Giant pandas (A–C) and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (D,E). All of the world’s Giant Pandas come from Western China. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Abbreviated in manuscript as Chengdu Panda Base), situated in Sichuan Province, Western China, is one of China’s premier institutions dedicated to the protection of captive giant pandas (figure 1D,E). It was established in 1987 to safeguard these precious creatures. Commencing with an
