A pair of playful panda cubs have been captured on camera showing off their nimble tree-climbing skills before engaging in an acrobatic joust halfway up the tree branch as they battled for the bragging rights in their enclosure.
The footage filmed last month at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in southwest China's Sichuan Province shows the pandas enjoying their playtime at the base's Star Giant Panda Nursery House.
The video shows the young pandas demonstrating remarkable flexibility and agility as they clambered up and around a tree branch. One was seen bravely hanging upside down in an acrobatic pose, while the other was able to balance steadily on a single paw, turning the small tree into their very own playground.
Panda keepers are keen to encourage the young cubs to engage with one another as a form of social enrichment, a key animal welfare measure that fosters interaction between individuals and promotes the development of diverse natural behaviors.
This enrichment practice adheres to science-backed care strategies which are designed to improve the national treasure's welfare, meet their physical and psychological needs, and encourage them to exhibit more of their innate wild behaviors.
The Chengdu base is a world-renowned facility for ex-situ conservation, scientific research and breeding, public education and eco-tourism. It is globally recognized for protecting and breeding endangered Chinese wildlife species such as giant pandas and red pandas.
Panda cubs show off tree-climbing skills, engage in acrobatic mid-air play-fight
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to intensify airstrikes against Iran if a peace deal is not reached, while Tehran vowed it would not let Washington exit the crisis without paying a price.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," he added.
On the same day, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said in an interview that Iran would not allow the United States to extricate itself from the crisis without paying a price.
Rezaei dismissed the U.S. proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a "show" designed to facilitate a withdrawal from the region, asserting that Iran would not allow it.
He emphasized that the United States must compensate Iran for incurred losses, adding that Tehran "will certainly obtain its rights and compensation."
The United States and Iran are close to agreeing a one-page memo to end their war, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported on Wednesday.
A potential deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment and the United States agreeing to lift sanctions, with both sides lifting restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, it said.
The New York Post reported on Wednesday that Trump said it is "too soon" to start thinking about face-to-face peace talks between the United States and Iran, despite optimistic reports that the two nations were closing in on a potential framework to end their war.
The United States and Israel began attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb 28, killing senior Iranian officials and civilians, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. interests in the region and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8. Talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Islamabad on April 11-12 ended without an agreement. After negotiations collapsed, the U.S. imposed a blockade of the strait.
Trump threatens heavier bombing if no deal reached, Iran seeks reparations
Trump threatens heavier bombing if no deal reached, Iran seeks reparations
