Giant panda Qian Qian cradles newborn twins as keepers rotate nursing shift

　　Two‑month‑old panda twins are thriving under their mother Qian Qian's care at the Ya'an base in southwest China's Sichuan Province, according to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

　　The twin cubs were born on June 10 by Qian Qian, a 14-year-old female panda who had already delivered six cubs before them.

　　At the center's breeding enclosure, Qian Qian gathered her newborns neatly against her chest, licking them clean and keeping them warm with practiced ease.

　　To counter the challenge of twin feeding, keepers at the center have adopted a rotation system, swapping the two cubs so each spends alternating shifts with Qian Qian for natural nursing and maternal contact while the other rests in an incubator under staff care.

　　"Both babies are developing well. The elder cub weighs 3,140 grams and the younger one 2,840 grams. Their body shape, facial features, ear structure and coat color are all developing nicely," said Xiao Yongli, a keeper at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda.

　　China is taking systematic action to protect its national treasure. The wild giant panda population in the country has grown from about 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 in 2025.

　　By the end of 2025, China's captive panda population had reached 808.