Special report: Strong Earthquake Jolts SW China

    BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The 68 giant pandas at two research bases in Chengdu and Ya'an in southwest China's Sichuan Province were all safe after Monday's devastating earthquake, the State Forestry Administration (SFA) said on Tuesday.

    The situation at another major base, the Wolong National Nature Reserve where 64 giant pandas live, remained unclear. The reserve was cut off from the outside world in the wake of the earthquake, said the SFA.

    On Monday afternoon, Wenchuan County was rocked by a 7.8-magnitude quake. All three giant-panda bases were located close to Wenchuan.

    The region in and around the quake-hit Wenchuan County has been a major forest zone and hosts many nature reserves, 39 of which are designated for the protection of giant pandas.

    The SFA said it set up a rescue team led by its head, Jia Zhibang, to direct rescue work. The SFA said it has been making all efforts to rescue employees working at affected nature reserves and endangered animals, in particular giant pandas.

    The SFA had earmarked 2 million yuan (about 286,500 U.S. dollars) to pay for food, drugs and clothes at affected reserves, it said.