One of the twin cubs born by the American-born female giant panda Hua Mei sleeps in an attemperator at the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province Sept. 27, 2004.

Giant panda Hua Mei, who did not know how to feed her babies after giving birth to them, learned some basic skills in the nursing of cubs in a 7-day training session held by the staff of the research center.

Now, Hua Mei and the personnel of the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center take care of the two cubs in alternation of five days.

The American-born female giant panda Hua Mei puts one of her cubs in the arms at the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.

Hua Mei, whose name means "China America", was born at San Diego Zoo and returned to China in February in honor of a Sino-American research cooperation program that took her parents to the United States eight years ago.

She was the first giant panda born overseas to be returned to China and the first to be born and survive in the western hemisphere since 1990.

Pandas are among the world's most endangered wildlife, threatened by the loss of habitat and a low reproduction rate.

Nevertheless, the number of pandas in the wild in China has risen by more than 40 percent from 1,110 in the 1980s to the current 1,590, a recent survey showed.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2004)