Giant pandas have been seen enjoying themselves in typically fun fashion, from munching down some specially-prepared snacks to engaging in playful leisure activities at the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
In recently released video footage, giant panda Zhuzhu was spotted happily chewing away on a carefully designed meal made by panda keepers. The gourmet feast featured delicious bamboo shoots which had also been 'skewered' with some crunchy carrots, adding an extra bite to the panda's favorite food.
Born in the year 2000, Zhuzhu is the oldest female giant panda at the research center, and has successfully given birth to seven cubs, the most of any panda mother at the center.
The footage also recorded the amusing antics of another giant panda Qiji, who was caught playing by some trees, including swinging some bamboo around by a tree trunk and later embarking on a courageous climbing adventure. Seated high among the branches, the fearless panda was seen clinging on with one paw while casually scratching an itch with its hind leg.
Established in 2018, the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center is a leading breeding and research base for the giant panda, and the only one located outside of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The center focuses on the Qinling giant panda, a sub-species first recognized in 2005 which lives in the Qinling Mountains, a natural boundary demarcating north and south China. The Qinling giant panda has a smaller and rounder skull, shorter snout and less fur than the more familiar Sichuan subspecies, as well as a distinctive brown and white colored coat.
The research center is also home to "Qizai", the world's only captive brown panda, who was born there in 2009.
Pandas enjoy gourmet meal, fun leisure activities at Shaanxi research base
Pandas enjoy gourmet meal, fun leisure activities at Shaanxi research base
