China has new rules on panda exhibitions

China's State Forestry Administration, in a move aimed at protecting endangered pandas, announced new rules on exhibition of the animals. The SFA said on its Web site pandas under the age of 2 or older than 25 cannot be used for exhibition purposes, China's official state news agency Xinhua reported Thursday. Non-artificially-bred pandas may not be featured in exhibitions, the SFA said, and exhibition organizers must obtain the proper licenses. Exhibitors will be required to arrange for annual physical examinations for their pandas and keep accurate records of their medical histories. Transferring pandas to a third party is prohibited. About 210 pandas live in captivity and about 1,600 live in the wild, mostly in southwest China's Szechuan province.