Yaloda, or Ya Laoda, proved a cooperative patient (see "Pandas in Their Own Land” by Dr. Carlos Sanchez.) Once she’d taken her colitis medicine regularly in an apple for several months, her hair coat and overall body condition improved dramatically. Dr. Sanchez barely recognized her the next time he visited the breeding base in Chengdu, nor was she on the list of pandas due for diagnostic exams. Most recently--in July 2008--Yaloda gave birth to twins, contributing to the start of another successful cubbing season at Chengdu despite the recent earthquake.

After working alongside Dr. Sanchez and other visiting veterinarians from the National Zoo and Zoo Atlanta, the Chengdu vets gained new skills. Nowthey routinely perform giant panda health exams under anesthesia, complete with endoscopy, ultrasound, and analysis of blood and tissue samples.

In 2006, nine cubs were born at Chengdu, and another 24 at breeding centers around the world. Another ten cubs were born in 2007, out of 30 worldwide.

Their improved breeding success reflects a greater effort on the part of the staff vets there to diagnose panda health problems. Yaloda wasn’t the only panda showing signs of intestinal upset or failure to breed. Staff vets had suspected problems with diet – not enough bamboo or mineral imbalances in the panda’s special biscuit - as well as possible toxins in the water, and/or high levels of stress related to housing conditions, including hot summer days. At the same time, they were concerned about the risks associated with general anesthesia - the first step in gathering detailed data – and skeptical that a more traditional Western medicine approach would yield useful results.

It’s too early to predict the 2008 season, but so far so good. Six cubs have been born as of August at Chengdu, including Yaloda's twins. Elsewhere in China, the Wolong panda cubbing season is also off to a good start. Wolong was severely damaged by the earthquake, forcing officials to move the pandas to other locations. Remarkably, two relocated mothers have already given birth, each to twins.
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/news/2008-07/22/content_16049578.htm

At Chengdu, the earthquake has also done damage. The cost of bamboo has risen dramatically since the quake and visitation has dropped from thousands of people a day to less than 50. A recent news story reports that the staff can no longer afford to offer the recommended amount of bamboo, nor can they provide air-conditioning on hot days or running water for baths--changes that worry all of us, particularly those who worked so hard to convince managers that these measures are critical to panda breeding.
http://www.china.org.cn/china/wenchuan_earthquake/2008-07/01/content_159...

Even if this does turn out to be a great breeding season, the threats to the long-term survival of the giant panda remain as high as ever. The number of captive-living and free-living giant pandas has hovered at around 240 and 1500, respectively, for several years. Their bamboo habitat continues to shrink, and the risk of introduction to infectious disease increases as more people and their domestic animals live adjacent to the panda reserves. The director of the Chengdu base, Zhang Zhihe, also a veterinarian, recently emphasized such threats in an interview. Natural disasters aside, in spite of all the funding that has gone into China to save the pandas, their future still seems very uncertain.
http://www.china.org.cn/environment/news/2007-11/18/content_1232125.htm