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Panda sisters in good health, released to the wild

The giant panda Qin Xin steps out of the crate, setting its paws in the wild home. (Photo: Song Haoxin/People's Daily)

A pair of captive-bred pandas was released into the wild in Southwest China's Sichuan Province Thursday morning.

The panda duo, named Qin Xin and Xiao Hetao (literally meaning little walnut in Chinese), are both 2.5-year-old female pandas, born at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas in Sichuan. Experts explained that the best time to release pandas is late autumn or early winter, the time when wild young pandas usually leave their mothers.

Xiao Hetao, a 2.5-year-old female panda, receives a physical examination in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

The panda sisters passed a physical check a day earlier, clearing the last hurdle before their release back into the wild.

Qin Xin, a 2.5-year-old female panda, receives a physical examination in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

The examination showed that Qin Xin is 117 centimeters long and weighs 64 kilograms, while Xiao Hetao is slightly smaller in figure at 62 kilograms and 99 centimeters. Both pandas are in good shape and physically qualified to be sent back to their natural habitats.

The two pandas are not only health ready but have also gained the survival skills necessary for living in the wild. Their breeders said they have learned how to locate resources for food and water and avoid enemies during their two-year training.

Every year, China’s panda bases will select two or three captive-bred giant pandas for wild training classes. Since 2010, nine giant pandas have been freed from their captive environment, seven of which have survived in the wild.

Xiao Hetao, a 2.5-year-old female panda, receives a physical examination in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

Xiao Hetao leaves a paw print during a physical examination in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

Xiao Hetao leaves a paw print during a physical examination in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo: VCG)

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(Produced by Chi Jingyi)