SHANGHAI, CHINA (NBC) — The giant panda twins born in Shanghai Wildlife Park one month ago met each other for the first time Friday.
The cubs have grown black fur on their ears as well as the unmistakable “panda eyes.”
They both received physical exams Friday.
They baby boy weighed in at 2.9 pounds while his younger sister weight 2.5 pounds.
It is the natural instinct of giant panda mothers to pick the strongest cubs from twin births to nurture, while ignoring and refusing to take care of the weaker one.
This is the breeding strategy to ensure greater survival in the wild, according to animal keepers in the park.
You You started breast feeding the male cub immediately after birth and the newborn female was taken out for artificial feeding.
The animal keepers observed and nursed the female cub around the clock.
On the fifth day, the keepers switched the pair and the female cub started breast feeding while the male cub started artificial feeding.
This is the first time the park conducted cub-switching experiments on giant pandas.
Now the pair takes turns with the breast feeding and artificial feeding.
The chubby and active twins look adorable, and it wont be long before they are melting the hearts of visitors of the park.