Two wild giant pandas captured on camera in Sichuan

CHENGDU -- An infrared camera has captured footage of two wild giant pandas in a pilot national park in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The clips, taken in the Xuebaoding section of the Giant Panda National Park, include two pandas roaming in the daytime and moving alone at night. It is particularly rare to see two wild giant pandas walking together, the administration of the park said Friday.

In the video, a giant panda walked up to a tree and sniffed it carefully. Then a second panda -- looking like a quiet "little girl" -- approached, looking at the ground, perhaps in search of food.

Later, the first panda turned around, rubbing its buttocks back and forth on the tree trunk, as if scratching or dancing, a typical marking behavior in animals. After that, it lay on the ground, waving its limbs around, as if to amuse its companion.

According to a staff member at the administration, the infrared camera was installed on Dec. 23, 2019 in a location that was often visited by the furry animals.

Wildlife protection experts said the video was likely taken in April, the breeding season for wild giant pandas. The two adult pandas were very harmonious together, with no fighting, leading to the preliminary conclusion that they were probably a male and a female engaged in courting and playing.

In 2017, China announced a plan to build the Giant Panda National Park, spanning three provinces, to help the endangered animals mingle and strengthen their gene pool, bringing together pandas isolated on six mountains in Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan.