Giant Panda’s are China’s national treasure. These bears are highly exalted and yet there are now less than 1,900 in the wild. 300 of them live in zoos around the world where they are free to roam while being cared for by experts.
Scientists have studied these creatures for years and it actually took awhile for them to decide and classify Pandas as “bears”.
The bold black and white coloring provides them camouflage in the thick, dense patches of bamboo. They can grow to about five feet tall and weigh in at around 275 pounds. They have insatiable appetites for bamboo and will eat up to about 28 pounds of it.
They eat so much of it because bamboo is low in nutrients.
When there isn’t enough bamboo to go around, Pandas will supplement their diets with rodents, fish, and birds. They mate every two to three years and that’s about the only time they become sociable. They are loners for the most part.
They dislike being around their own kind.
Yet it seems that they don’t mind being around humans. So much so they’re willing to trust their young to the men and women who care for them. Take for instance this mama. Considering she’s a foster mom, she cares so much for these twin cubs.
Cubs are blind for 50 days and begin crawling at 10 weeks old.
Quan-Quan is nursing while mama grooms him so he’s always handsome for visitors. But unbeknownst to mom, another cub is waiting for his turn for milk. Ling Bing is Quan-Quan’s twin and to be honest, how can one tell Pandas apart?
They are three months old and when they need to be swapped for some mommy time, the men need to distract mom with food. Ling Bing arrives in his own basket complete with blankets and a comforter.
Cubs start eating bamboo around 7 to 9 months but still continue nursing.
The twins are swapped every five days and whether or not mama is aware of this fact is anyone’s guess. The keepers need to move fast if the swap is to be made. That’s a lot of bamboo!
She seems distracted enough.
The keepers move like a well oiled machine. While mama is eating, one carries Quan-Quan out while Ling Bing is brought in. Bamboo distractions don’t last very long. The mission is a success!
Quan-Quan is delivered to the nursery for some pampering. He doesn’t even have a clue.
Milk drunk and without a care in the world.
Visitors and tourists walk about oblivious to the sleight of hand that just happened. All pandas look the same and they wouldn’t know the difference. But not to the keepers and nurses. They exert their time and effort to make sure these twins get all the care they need.
Foster mom could care less who she holds as long as she gets to give them all her love.
It’s a very cute moment and one viewer even says,
“It’s amazing how pandas hold their babies like humans.”
The video has over 3 million views and people cannot get enough of this adorable moment.
And everyone is glad people are making efforts to conserve and care for these beautiful animals.
Watch how the twins are swapped while mama eats by clicking on the video below.
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Source: YouTube, Live Science
