Pandas test negative for novel coronavirus at Chengdu base

All pandas at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China's Sichuan Province have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the base said Thursday.

The base asked an authoritative organization to conduct nucleic acid testing on its pandas after media reported that several tigers and lions at New York City's Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19, according to Zhang Zhihe, director of the base.

"All the tests came back with negative results, and no panda in our base has been infected by the virus," Zhang said.

As a top destination for the world's panda lovers, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the provincial capital Chengdu had more than 80 pandas by the end of last year.