A Chinese scientist claims in  an academic paper published here that the giant panda, one of the  most endangered species of primates in the world, is able to  suffer from high blood pressure, just as human beings do.

   But it is difficult to determine a giant panda's blood pressure, said Chen Yucun, director of the Giant Panda Research Center in  Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province.

   The normal high blood pressure of a panda stands at 140-160,  while the low blood pressure ranges between 80 and 90. A 21-year- old giant panda at Chen's center was diagnosed as having  hypertension last March. After a week's treatment, its blood  pressure dropped to the normal 158/90 mm.

   Chen said that hypertension is the source of many diseases for  giant pandas, and he advised regular blood pressure check-ups.

   Chen's center is a major giant panda research base. It has  achieved a number of breakthroughs, including panda embryo clone  and the world record for older pandas to give birth.