China reserve shows off 10 panda cubs to mark Lunar New Year
Ten panda cubs made their debut in China’s leading panda reserve Wednesday morning to mark the coming Lunar New Year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ten panda cubs made their public debut in China’s leading panda reserve Wednesday morning to mark the coming Lunar New Year.
One appeared shy and covered its face with both paws when it saw the crowd, while another went rogue and crawled away from its keeper before being caught.
The pandas range in age from 4 to 6 months, and all resulted from natural mating, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
The black-and-white fluff balls made their appearance in a playground at the center adorned with Lunar New Year's decorations including lanterns, traditional Chinese knots, paper cars and flags.
“Newborn baby pandas from the class of 2020 ... wish you a happy New Year and lots of good luck in the Year of the Ox,” their keepers shouted with the pandas in their arms, while some tried to clamber away.
Bamboo baskets of treats were prepared for the pandas, with the Chinese character “fu,” meaning good fortune and blessings, written on the outside.
This mimicked the Chinese tradition of adults giving red envelopes with money inside to children during the Lunar New Year to pass them good wishes and blessings.
Instead of money, the baby pandas got snacks. Some of them were curious about the baskets, while others were distracted by the toys and decorations nearby.
As of December, there were 44 panda cubs worldwide, and more than half were bred in China.
China has prided itself on its efforts to preserve a species that was endangered for many years. Pandas are also a symbol of China and part of its cultural diplomacy.
___
Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this story.