Wild panda mother, cub captured on video in northwest China

LANZHOU - A rare moment of intimacy between a wild giant panda mother and her cub was captured earlier this year by infrared cameras in a nature reserve in northwest China's Gansu Province, the reserve said Tuesday.

Two clips, with a total length of 40 seconds, showed the mother and the cub having a play fight in the Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve on March 25.

"This is the first time such clear footage of a wild giant panda family has been recorded in the reserve," said He Liwen at the reserve's giant panda management office.

According to He, the cub spotted in the video was about one year old. "Wild baby pandas are usually raised by the mother until two years old when they separate and go on to live a solitary life," He said.

The clips were found when staff at the reserve were sorting through photos and video clips filmed earlier this year.

In 2018, 700 infrared cameras were installed across the reserve, capturing 1,477 video clips and 788 pictures of wild giant pandas.

Baishuijiang Nature Reserve is home to the largest number of wild pandas in China. Among the 132 wild pandas in Gansu, 110 live in the reserve.