Unexpected Guests As the cub chews his bamboo, two new figures


come into the clearing. T ey look like pandas. T ey walk kind of funny, though. T ese giant pandas aren’t walking on all four


legs. T ey’re standing on their two back legs. T at’s because they aren’t pandas at all. T ey’re scientists wearing furry black-and-white panda suits. T ese scientists work at a nearby panda


research center. T ere, they raise giant pandas. T ey want to teach the cubs how to survive in the wild, and then let them go. It doesn’t always work. In 2006, the center


released its first cub. Researchers had raised the cub by hand. T ey cuddled it. T ey taught it how to find food, and to survive on its own.


This panda researcher catches a cub for its checkup.


Checking Up T en the scientists released the cub. It survived


on its own for awhile. T en wild giant pandas attacked it and killed it. Researchers think the wild pandas thought


there was something odd about the cub. Maybe it acted diff erently because humans raised it. So now the scientists are trying something


new. T ey dress up in panda costumes. T at way, the cubs don’t get used to the sight or touch of humans. T e two scientists want to see if their plan


is working. T ey’re in the forest to check on a cub they recently released. T ey want to give it every chance to survive. T is isn’t the cub they’re looking for, though. T ey quietly back away. T e cub keeps eating.


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