After 20 years of being a veterinarian in the United Kingdom and traveling extensively to film documentaries, Stephen Leonard had never seen a giant panda. However, when he was given the opportunity to go to China to explore the panda reserves that are keeping this endangered species alive, he jumped at the opportunity. Leonard's documentary will air on the U.K. channel ITV New Year's Eve.
The documentary, "Panda Babies," will let viewers follow the pregnancy of 7-year-old Min Min, who gives birth to her first cub. It will also show us what it takes to raise a baby giant panda from birth to toddler, an amazing process much more complicated than one would expect, noted the Sun. They are fed eight times daily, sometimes by their mothers and sometimes by veterinary teams.
Leonard toured three of the most successful giant panda reserves in China for the program. Last year, 22 cubs were born at the Bifengxia Panda Reserve alone, which is good news for the species because there are fewer than 2,000 left in the wild, said the Sun.
Giant panda reserves can be dangerous. Though the animals look cuddly, some of the care that the medical team provides can be risky, like extracting the nutrient-rich milk needed to feed the babies, reported the Sun.
Tune in to "Panda Babies" to get to know giant pandas from the very beginning. The tiny, pink, hairless creatures barely resemble the adorable black-and-white bears they very quickly grow into.
