What's better than videos of giant pandas? Live panda webcams!
The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Ya'an City, China has partnered with Explore.org for several live webcams from the world's "largest facility for preserving and re-introducing the species to the wild," according to an Explore.org press release.
The CCRGCP is home to four panda toddlers which were born in 2009 and will be featured on the webcam.
The pandas, females Yaoman, Shinbing and Yaoxin and male Lulin, are housed in two separate areas at the Ya'an Panda Base, according to Mother Nature Network. A third camera that features five two-year-old pandas is expected to come online later in February.
Dr. Li Desheng, a doctor at CCRCGP said, "The giant panda has been a Chinese national treasure since ancient times. Not only do they act as our peaceful ambassadors but they are also a symbol of wildlife conservation. Using cameras to share these magnificent creatures in their homeland will remind people of the heavy responsibility we all have to the world we share."
According to Reuters, China has engaged in "panda diplomacy" and sent the bears abroad as a goodwill gesture since the 1950s.
Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are currently listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. According to the IUCN, restricted and degraded habitats are the "greatest threat" to pandas. China has established a "network of panda reserves" with linkages between them, but habitats reamin fragmented due to agriculture and industry.
The CCRCGP and Explore.org webcams can be viewed here and here.
Below, check out several highlight videos from the CCRCGP webcam.