Stupid Panda trained like commando, sent into forrest

From WTOP News:

BEIJING (AP) - China on Friday released a panda bred in captivity into the wild for the first time, and the animal scampered into a nearby bamboo forest where he will be monitored via satellite.

Xiang Xiang, a 4-year-old male raised at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center in Sichuan province, was trained for almost three years to survive in the wild, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

(1) Can I add the Panda Channel to my DirecTV subscription?

(2) Why is a third world country training stupid animals that won't even help themselves how to survive in the wild? As Dr. Jason Brooks puts it, "They are stupid animals, and they belong with the dinosaurs."

Xiang Xiang, whose name means auspicious, has learned how to build a den, forage for food and mark his territory, experts at Wolong have said. He has also developed defensive skills like howling and biting.

His training began in 2003 in a 215,000-square-foot open-air facility and he was later transferred to an area 10 times the size to simulate a natural habitat.

(3) Who teaches an animal how to bite? A kindergarten teacher?

This story is so fucking odd.