Chinese scientists say they have developed a testing technique enabling them to determine the father of a baby panda without taking blood samples.
Scientists from the Kunming Animal Research Institute in southwestern Yunnan province say all they need to determine a panda's paternity is a lock of hair and some stool samples, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday.Such tests are crucial for the survival of the endangered species, which is native only to China, because they can help prevent inbreeding, Xinhau said.
The technique will enable zoologists to pair captive females with more than one male to increase the likelihood of pregnancies, it said.
Experts estimate that only 1,000 pandas live in the forests of China's Sichuan, Yunnan, and Shaanxi provinces.