Wild panda pair spotted in northwest China

Rare footage of two wild giant pandas was captured by an infrared camera in the Giant Panda National Park's section in northwest China's Gansu province.

The infrared camera footage shows that on Feb. 23, a female panda with a prominent snout and round cheeks was marking her territory and leaving her scent in front of the camera. Subsequently, a male panda with yellow spots on its shoulders followed the scent, tracking her until he found the female. The pair then displayed courtship behavior in the snow.

Generally, the mating season for wild giant pandas is from March to May. "The fact that these wild pandas were engaging in courtship behavior in February fills a gap in our understanding of the breeding period of wild giant pandas," said Yin Feng, head of Liujiaping protection station of the Baishuijiang administration of the Giant Panda National Park.

This indicates that the wild panda population in the Baishuijiang area is stable and healthy, Yin added.

The Baishuijiang area of the Giant Panda National Park, located in the southern Gansu, serves as a sanctuary for wild giant pandas and their coexisting animal species. According to the fourth nationwide survey released in 2015, there were 132 wild giant pandas in Gansu, with 110 residing in the Baishuijiang area.