A pair of giant panda cubs in Southwest China are getting ready for their release into the wild. Two-year old He-sheng and Qian-qian have just been moved to a training ground in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Their main job now is to learn to find their own food and water. Their trainers say so far the two little ones are proving to be up to the task. The male He-sheng is a great climber, and the female, Qian-qian is showing a growing appetite.

The training regime is going to get tougher in later phases. The two will have to learn to fend off intruders, as well as acquire defensive skills such as howling and biting. That process will take up to a year. Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. About 1,600 of the animals live in the world, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan.