Fourteen panda cubs born at the nonprofit center Chengdu Panda Base in Sichuan Province, China, made their official debut while cuddling together in a crib, ABC News reports. The cubs are being raised in two separate delivery rooms, but all came together for a press conference on Tuesday.
The births of the baby pandas certainly marks a reason for the wildlife center to celebrate, as Giant pandas are a critically endangered species, an estimated 1,800 thought to exist in the wilderness of southern China. In addition, low sex drives and issues with infertility make the pandas notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. Many males are given Viagra to help encourage them to mate, though the majority of pandas are born in breeding facilities through artificial insemination, as bears are especially finicky. The 14 new baby pandas join the center's current population of 128, all of which were bred and raised in captivity.
The oldest of the new babies, Meng Meng, weighs 6.6 pounds, according to BBC News, while the youngest, Ya Yi, is a mere 1.5 pounds. The first ten days of a baby panda's life are critical, as it is during this time that infants are most vulnerable to disease and early death. This year, a total of 20 panda cubs were born at Chengdu Panda Base, 17 of which were lucky to survive their first few days on earth.
Back in November 2012, a similar photo of seven baby pandas snuggling on a pink sheet stole the hearts of thousands of online viewers. This year, Chinese Television Network (CNTV) launched a round-the-clock broadcast of the babies through the site iPanda.com, which attracted more than 15,000 viewers during its first month up and running in June, using 28 high-definition cameras to capture all of the eating, sleeping and playing of the baby pandas.
Over the past few months, the U.S. has welcomed three baby panda cubs into the world, including the twin cubs born in July at Zoo Atlanta and the baby girl born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. this month.
Click here to see photos of the adorable baby pandas together in their crib.
