By Trevor Marshallsea of AAP

BEIJING, Dec 11 AAP - China has set the goal of breeding up to 48 more giant pandas in captivity by the end of 2000.

The five-year plan to breed between 32 and 48 of the highly endangered animals would bring the number of them bred in captivity to between 76 and 92.

The plan includes developing synthetic feed designed to boost the fertility of pandas and raise the survival rate of their cubs, the overseas edition of the official People's Daily newspaper reported today.

Panda specialists will also research the panda's ovulation and gestation periods, hereditary patterns and embryo implants, and a computer network will be established to help boost information on panda diseases.

A total of 44 pandas have been bred in captivity in the past 10 years.

The survival rate has increased in that time from 31.82 per cent to 84.62 per cent, according to China Zoo Association statistics.

Only 1,000 pandas are estimated to live in the wild in their native country, mainly in the provinces of Shaanxi in central China, Gansu in the north and Sichuan in the south.

The first successful breeding of a panda in captivity occured in the Beijing Zoo in 1963, triggering similar efforts from most zoos in the country.

Breeding programs are also conducted at panda research centres such as Sichuan's Wolong Nature Reserve, which has bred four cubs since August and 13 since 1986.

Penalties including execution and life imprisonment exist for poachers.