Photo by @amivitale #onassignment for @natgeo. This is a rare moment when a panda keeper in costume does a quick two-month health check on a cub at Wolong China Conservation & Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province, China. He first must carefully wait for the mother panda to leave while she forages for food and then quickly weigh and check the cub. Because these pandas will be released back into the wild, the interaction with the keepers is very limited and they must wear costumes which are scented so the pandas never get used to humans. The pandas must go through a series of tests over two years to be sure they are ready to live in the wild because after just one generation in captivity, they forget the skills they need to survive in the wild. Follow @amivitale for more adorable pandas. @ipandacam @natgeocreative @thephotosociety #pandas #babypandas #wolong #sichuan #conservation #natureisspeaking #china #animals #wildlife #photooftheday #photography #nature #seetheworld #photojournalism #amivitale by natgeo

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