World's only captive brown panda takes regular exercises for winter

The world's only brown-and-white panda in captivity, Qi Zai, received regular physical exercises to enhance its hind limb strength for the winter season at a research center in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Qi Zai was born in 2009 and weighs 110 kilograms now. Unlike typical black-and-white pandas, Qi Zai's unique coloring is caused by a rare genetic mutation.

Keepers insert carrots and other foods that giant pandas like into one end of a bamboo pole, then guide the fluffy bear to stand on its hind legs and chase after the food. This is the winter physical training course for giant pandas at the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center.

Starting in November each year, the training course takes place twice a day, about an hour after their morning and midday meals. Each training session lasts about five to ten minutes.

"They generally start participating in our physical training after they get three. Both males and females take part in this general training, mainly to strengthen their hind limbs," said Xue Wangli, a keeper of Qinling Giant Panda Research Center.

During the winter physical training session, not every giant panda can stand for long or walk as far as Qi Zai. Four-year-old Qi Ji, three-year-old Rong Rong, and three-year-old Shu Bao can currently only stand up but are not strong enough to take a few steps.

"We tailor our training programs for each panda based on its physical condition and the duration of its participation. Some pandas are capable of walking upright, so they will engage in longer walking sessions, and we will correspondingly extend their training time. For pandas that are just beginning their training, we only ask them to stand up and hold the position for a little longer, without requiring them to walk at this stage," Xue said.

According to experts, this training program not only gets a panda moving its whole body but also significantly strengthens its hind limbs. Strong hind limbs are crucial for a panda's daily activities, such as climbing, walking, and mating.

Generally, pandas reach sexual maturity at four to six years old and can begin breeding. For pandas over three years old, more exercises during winter help lay a foundation for future breeding.

World's only captive brown panda takes regular exercises for winter

Dense fog led to temporary traffic control on several sections of local expressways in east China's Jiangxi Province on Monday morning, prompting the provincial meteorological observatory to issue a yellow fog warning.

From the early hours of the morning, thick fog enveloped sections of major expressways, reducing visibility to less than 200 meters.

The local authorities promptly activated the emergency response and implemented restrictions at some of the affected expressway toll stations.

The Jiangxi Provincial Meteorological Bureau activated a yellow warning for the heavy fog at 05:45, reminding drivers to prioritize traffic safety.

At around 08:30, as the temperature began to rise, the thick fog gradually dissipated, allowing traffic to resume on all the affected expressways.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

Dense fog leads to temporary traffic control expressways in Jiangxi