China finds escaped quake panda

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has recaptured a giant panda that made a bid for freedom after a massive earthquake devastated the research base where it lived, the official Xinhua agency said on Monday.

The panda, named Xi Xi, was spotted on Sunday by a river not far from the Wolong research centre, but had disappeared into the woods by the time staff had got across.

It did not get very far in its escape effort however, as they captured it on Monday just 200 meters (yards) downstream from its home.

The highly endangered bear was anesthetized and taken back in a cage to rejoin another four pandas who also went on the run after the May 12 quake, China's most devastating in decades.

One panda is still missing, and the centre is struggling to feed the animals, which used to live on bamboo shoots collected by local people.

The Wolong centre is deep in the mountains of Sichuan province, just 30 km (18 miles) from the earthquake epicenter along a winding, two-lane road that was partially blocked by landslides.

(Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by David Fox)