Reintroduction debate continues to rage

When a panda died after being released into the wild late last year, the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding became the target of criticism. Hesheng, a captive-bred panda, died in September, two months after being released into the wild in Southwest China's Sichuan province, according to an announcement from the research base.

The announcement sparked outcry among netizens, who questioned whether the reintroduction program was protecting or "murdering" the animals.

Experts in the field rejected the claims.