World's only surviving panda triplet celebrates second birthday

Giant panda triplets Mengmeng, Shuaishuai and Kuku eat bamboo shoots and carrots at their birthday party in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, July 29, 2016. A party celebrating the second birthday of the world's only surviving panda triplets, who were born on July 29, 2014 in Guangzhou, was held at Chimelong Safari Park here Friday. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

GUANGZHOU, July 29 -- The world's only surviving panda triplet celebrated their second birthday in the southern city of Guangzhou on Friday.

The pandas, a female and two males, feasted on a special cake made of bamboo, apples and carrots at a party watched by more than4,000 visitors at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou.

Meng Meng, Shuai Shuai and Ku Ku were born on July 29, 2014 in Guangzhou to Juxiao from China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda in Sichuan.

"They are now learning independence, and they are able to find food and protect themselves," said Chen Shuqing, an attendant at the zoo.

Juxiao still lives with the young pandas.

The triplets are the fourth set of panda triplets ever recorded in the world. In the past, at least one of the triplets died from physical defects or low body weight.

Statistics from the State Forestry Administration show about1,600 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan, while about 300 live in captivity worldwide.

Most giant pandas in captivity struggle to breed. Only 24 percent of females in captivity give birth, posing a serious threat to the survival of the species. Enditem