No monkey business for China's 'Jane Goodall'

"Expo City Star" Lu Zhi's love of the Giant Panda has seen her compared to English primatologist Jane Goodall, who gained fame by studying chimpanzee communities in Tanzania and other parts of Africa in the 1970s.

Both women have made outstanding scientific contributions to anthropological research and they continue to lead international efforts advocating to the protection of the two animals and their respective natural habitats.

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"Jane's story inspired many young people, including me," said the 44-year-old, who fell in love with the bamboo-munching bears during her college years.

One of China's leading experts on biodiversity, the Chinese environmentalist was last week one of a dozen people awarded the title of "Expo City Star" by expo organizers and corporate sponsors.

Individuals who have made outstanding achievements in promoting energy saving measures and healthy lifestyles were given the award as the event promotes the harmonious interaction of urban and natural life. Lu was chosen by project sponsor L'Oreal.

Lu is most credited for the work she completed from 1985 to 1993, which specifically focused on identifying the Giant Panda's social behavior in the wild. She spent eight years tracking and studying the animal in its primitive environment on the high-altitude plains of the Qinling Mountains in northwestern China's Shaanxi province.

Her work has since dispelled several misconceptions about the mammal, one of China's national treasures. One discovery refutes a common public misconception that pandas have difficulty reproducing.

"Expo City Star" Lu Zhi. [China Daily]

That is because pandas which are not raised in the wild but in breeding centers get separated from their mothers at six months. This is to encourage the mother to mate again.

But this separation means the cubs lose the chance to learn how to mate when they get older, thus requiring help from humans in order to do so.

Wild pandas on the other hand have no problem reproducing, which explains why the animal has been around for tens of thousands of years, according to Lu's studies.

However, due to the removal of many of their natural habitats to make room for the construction of roads, railways and dams, the Giant Panda is now on the verge of extinction. This threat has prompted Lu to turn away from her field work and to the international arena, where she strongly advocates protecting the animal's habitat.

Lu, also a professor of conservation biology at Peking University in Beijing, continues to vocalize her concerns as the country's urbanization wreaks havoc on the Giant Panda's natural homeland.

"New challenges continue to pop up and they need to be resolved," she said.

One of her fondest encounters with the Giant Panda occurred in 1990. Lu found a stray panda who could not eat properly due to teeth problems. She helped nurse it back to health and in the process formed a close bond with the animal, who was later to prove reluctant to return to the wild.

Memories like these remain etched in Lu's mind and continue to fuel her passion for her job.

"My study of the wild panda and my efforts to protect it will probably carry on throughout my lifetime," she said.