Two giant pandas at China's leading panda conservation center in the southwestern Sichuan Province have been caught on video performing a classic bear behavior, rubbing their backs against logs to scratch their itches.
In the footage, captured at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), the pandas can be seen pressing their backs and hindquarters against the rough wood, twisting and shifting their weight in a rhythmic motion.
One of the bears featured in the video is "Zhang Ka," a male panda originally rescued from the wild in the Zhangga Mountain area of Sichuan's Fengtongzhai National Nature Reserve. The other is "You You," also male, born at the CCRCGP on July 30, 2017.
As the world's premier institution for giant panda breeding, conservation and research, the CCRCGP has established the world's largest captive population of giant pandas, pioneered artificial breeding programs for the species, and initiated research on the re-wilding and reintroduction of captive-bred pandas into the wild.
The center also operates the world's largest and most extensive giant panda cooperation and exchange platform. To date, it has partnered with 18 zoos in 16 countries and regions, as well as 39 zoological institutions and more than 10 research institutes within China, fostering collaborative efforts in panda protection, breeding, and scientific research.
Pandas seen scratching backs on logs in Sichuan center
