Panda cubs make debut to mark start of spring
Breeders pose for a group photo with giant panda cubs born in 2020 at Shenshuping base of China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Feb 3, 2021.[Photo/Xinhua]
Ten panda cubs born in 2020 made their debut in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, on Wednesday, which was Lichun, or the beginning of spring, the first solar term in the Chinese lunar calendar.
At 11 am, keepers took the 10 panda cubs to a playground of the Shenshuping base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, where they were given treats and played on a toy train and castle.
"They kept smelling and biting the new toys, and it was apparent that they liked the train and castle," said Zhang Guiquan, a panda expert at the base, which was set up in 1980 under an agreement between the World Wide Fund for Nature, formerly the World Wildlife Fund, and the Chinese government.
The average age of the 10 cubs is around 6 months, with the oldest twin sisters being more than 190 days and the youngest being more than 120 days.
(Editor:Wang Su)