BEIJING (AP) – Ten panda cubs made their public debut at China’s main panda reserve on Wednesday morning, to mark the next Lunar New Year.
One looked shy and covered his face with both paws when he saw the crowd, while another dodged and crawled away from his keeper before being caught.
Pandas range in age from 4 to 6 months, and all resulted from natural mating, according to the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in southwest China’s Sichuan province.
The plush black and white balls made their appearance at a playground in the center adorned with Lunar New Year decorations, including lanterns, traditional Chinese knots, paper cars and flags.
“Newborn panda babies of the class of 2020 … I wish a happy new year and luck in the year of the ox,” shouted their keepers with the pandas in their arms, while some tried to escape.
Bamboo baskets with treats were prepared for the pandas, with the Chinese character “fu”, which means good luck and blessings, written on the outside.
This imitated the Chinese tradition of adults giving red envelopes with money inside to children during the Lunar New Year to pass on good wishes and blessings to them.
Instead of money, baby pandas were given snacks. Some of them were curious about the baskets, while others were distracted by the toys and ornaments nearby.
In December, there were 44 panda cubs worldwide, and more than half were raised in China.
China is proud of its efforts to preserve an endangered species for many years. Pandas are also a symbol of China and part of its cultural diplomacy.
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Associated Press news assistant Caroline Chen contributed to this story.