Ask any parent with twins and they will tell you that life can get difficult sometimes. Let’s face it, living in a home with one baby can be a challenge but when you have two children that are needing your time and attention, it can quickly get overwhelming. Apparently, this is not only a problem for human parents, animals can also experience the same problems as well. That is seen with giant pandas, and one mother in particular that, along with her keepers, has managed to capture the attention of the world.
When it comes to panda births, twins are not out of the ordinary. The problem is, it is rare for both of the babies to survive. The mother panda does not typically have the motivation to care for both of the cubs so she will choose one to nurture and the other one will eventually die. That is why the zookeepers had to step in and do something drastic when Lee Lee gave birth to twins. They needed her to care for both of them but she wouldn’t do it without their help. In the end, they tricked her into thinking she only had one cub.
Pandas are not like humans when it comes to caring for and raising their young. For a panda, the survival of both the cub and mother is at stake. This is spoken of in the video below, and David Attenborough, the narrator, says that they are neglectful of one of the babies because “It’s thought that they don’t have sufficient milk or energy for two.” Lee Lee would only care for one of the young ones so the zookeepers came up with a plan. It would require a lot of time and courage but in the end, they would switch out the cubs up to 10 times every day.
A zookeeper would distract Lee Lee by offering her a bowl of honey water. They will then take the cub from her grip as she was cuddling them. It took some time and coaxing but eventually, it worked. The staff member will then care for the cub until it’s time to make the switch and they will do it all over again.
This takes a lot of patience but it works with most panda mothers. You can learn more about this amazing technique and see the whole panda family in this video: