Wild giant panda mother and her child captured on cameras in SW China’s nature reserve

Two wild giant pandas, who were assumed to be a mother and her child, were captured on infrared cameras positioned in Dafengding National Nature Reserve, Meigu County, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Red Star news reported on Oct.9.

Many photos of wild giant pandas were recently found in the infrared cameras placed in the No.61 monitored section of the Dafengding National Nature Reserve, among which three photos depict the scenes of the two giant pandas ambling together, according to the information office of the People’s Government of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

Photo taken by infrared camera shows a wild giant panda ambles in the woods of the Dafengding National Nature Reserve. (Photo/ Courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Meigu County Committee)

Experts say based on the sizes of the wild giant pandas in the pictures, the two giant pandas captured walking together were very likely to be a mother and her child, and the younger one was probably about one and a half years old, as giant pandas are normally solitary animals that generally give birth to cubs around August each year and leave their children when the latter are about one and a half to two years old and are able to climb trees on their own.

Wild giant panda mother and her child. (Photo/ Courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Meigu County committee)

The pictures of the giant panda mother and her child were taken on April 19, 2019, which was the fourth time a wild giant panda mother and her child being captured in the same pictures in Dafengding National Nature Reserve since 2012, when infrared cameras were first placed in the reserve.

Giant pandas are the major targets of protection in Dafengding National Nature Reserve. Last September, a wild giant panda cub that was about two months old was spotted sleeping soundly in a tree pit in the reserve.