Panda cubs send Lunar New Year greetings from SW China

CHENGDU -- Twenty-four giant panda cubs were gathered at two breeding bases in Southwest China's Sichuan province for a Chinese New Year greeting on Sunday.

All the cubs were born in 2023 -- 10 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and 14 at the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.

Amid festive decorations at the Shenshuping breeding base and at the second location in Chengdu's Beihu area, the cubs were held by their caretakers and posed for cameras to delight people around the world as Chinese New Year approaches.

Over the years, the two organizations have been cooperating on giant panda breeding, genetic preservation, and disease prevention and control. They have also assembled expert panels to support the Giant Panda National Park, which was established in 2021.

Covering an area of more than 22,000 square kilometers, the park plays a crucial role in safeguarding about 72 percent of China's wild giant pandas.

There are approximately 1,900 giant pandas living in the wild in China today, and the global captive population of giant pandas has climbed to 728, with 46 pandas successfully bred in captivity last year, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.