Could Panda Mother Abandon Two of Her Children?

As she exposed her belly, Lin Xuan and the viewers in the livestream room saw three Panda Cubs nursing at their mother's belly.

The last-born Panda Cub was nursing the most fiercely.

(Haha, watching Panda Mother nurse her cubs feels just like watching the litter my Wangcai had. One of them nursed the hardest too, like it was afraid it wouldn't get any.)

(But when it comes to wild Giant Pandas, I think having three cubs at once is not a good thing.)

(Oh? Why do you say that?)

At that moment, Ink Plum Like Painting sent another comment in the livestream room: (Giant Pandas rarely have twins. If they do have two cubs, they usually choose only one because they can't care for both. They keep the baby in their arms the whole time.)

(If they're in the wild, the other one won't survive.)

(But in a zoo, there are ways around it. The keepers simulate the mother's environment, though the survival rate of hand-rearing is still low. So whenever Panda Mother lets a cub down while distracted—usually lured away with food—they secretly—otherwise she'll think it's someone else's baby—swap the two cubs. Then, after a while, swap them back; ...until they're weaned.)

After Ink Plum Like Painting's explanation, the viewers finally understood.

If there were two cubs, Panda Mother would protect only one and abandon the other. This was also one reason wild Giant Pandas were so scarce.

That was because Panda Cubs had many natural enemies in the wild.

Among predatory animals, medium and large mammals, reptiles, and birds could all be Giant Panda predators. Several ferocious feline species were particularly representative.

Felines: tigers, leopards, Snow Leopards, Golden Cats, Leopard Cats, and Jungle Cats.

Golden Cats: usually solitary, nocturnal, skilled climbers, capable swimmers, with fixed dens. They often roam mountain forests in search of food.

A Golden Cat naturally could not match an adult Giant Panda, but it could secretly kill a young Giant Panda and quickly retreat.

Canines included wolves, dholes, and Red Foxes.

Wolves: wolves generally hunted in packs. Once a panda entered their encirclement, the alpha wolf led the pack in an attack.

Therefore, to better protect her children, Panda Mother could only choose one. Only then would she have the strength to protect that child properly. As for the other one, it could only be left to fate.

(Ah, but this Panda Mother gave birth to triplets all at once. Doesn't that mean she'll choose to abandon two and raise the healthiest Panda Cub?)

(Then wouldn't the two abandoned Panda Cubs...)

(Comrade Lin Xuan, if this Panda Mother abandons her other two children, could you please protect them if possible? We'll arrange for people to take them in.)

(Of course. Rest assured, our institute will take good care of those two abandoned Panda Cubs.)

At that moment, the director of the Xia Country Endangered Animal Research Institute sent a comment.

When the viewers saw Old Su's comment, their worries eased at once.

If Panda Mother really abandoned two of her children and the Xia Country Endangered Animal Research Institute took them in, then those two abandoned cubs would surely be raised well.

"Mr. Su, let's talk about that when the time comes."

Lin Xuan did not want to discuss this matter in front of Panda Mother.

This Panda Mother was different from the other Giant Pandas he had seen. She was actually smarter than most of them.

Perhaps she would not abandon her children. Perhaps she would raise all three cubs well.

There was truly no need to discuss such a matter in front of her right now.

(The streamer's right. Panda Mother hasn't even abandoned her children, yet we're already discussing it here. If Panda Mother knew, she'd definitely be sad.)

(Besides, isn't the streamer a forest ranger? He must deal with the jungle all the time. If he has time, he can come check on the panda family often.)

(Yeah, the streamer is the forest ranger for this area. As long as Panda Mother doesn't wander off, he'll definitely keep them safe.)

(These three Panda Cubs were delivered by the streamer, after all. He counts as a midwife, haha.)

Lin Xuan had actually considered this issue as well. If Panda Mother really abandoned two of her children, then if he had the means, he wanted to adopt the two abandoned Panda Cubs.

But the paperwork for something like that would probably be difficult to handle.

After all, Giant Pandas were national treasures. He had never heard of anyone being able to adopt one privately.

All the procedures involved were extremely complicated.

It grew dark faster in the jungle than outside. Before long, the sky had become somewhat dim.

At this time, Lin Xuan began setting up his tent.

He was not like a Giant Panda, covered in fluffy fur that could keep him warm at night.

Besides, he did not want to sleep on unprotected ground.

There were plenty of insects on the ground at night, as well as venomous snakes and the like.

If he lay on the ground at night and got bitten by a venomous snake or some insect, that would be bad.

The jerky and water he had brought had been mostly consumed by Panda Mother alone.

After all, she had just given birth and needed a great deal of nutrition to replenish her strength.

Lin Xuan took a fuel lamp from his backpack and lit it. In the jungle, it was best to use as little open flame as possible when it could be avoided.

Of course, if you were alone in the jungle, it was still best to make a fire.

It could ward off some wild beasts and keep you warm.

Lin Xuan was currently wearing a windproof jacket over thermal clothing. He also had a sleeping bag in the tent, which he could crawl into late at night.

Perhaps because giving birth had exhausted too much of her strength, Panda Mother was already getting sleepy at around eight that night. She glanced at Lin Xuan, then peacefully closed her eyes.

Or perhaps Lin Xuan's presence made her feel safe.

Seeing that Panda Mother was about to sleep, Lin Xuan prepared to rest as well.

"Alright, everyone, it's getting late. I'm planning to rest too."

(Streamer, don't! Giant Pandas are so cute. You could stream nothing but pandas twenty-four hours a day and we'd be fine with it.)

(Exactly! It's only a little past eight. I wouldn't even be resting at home at this hour. Aren't you going to stream until eleven or twelve?)

(The night is still young. I'm not going to sleep!)

(Yeah, even if it's just a Giant Panda stream, I'll watch!)

"Haha, I know everyone is worried about Panda Mother. Don't worry, I'll be in the tent tonight. If anything happens, I can wake up immediately. I won't let the panda family encounter any danger."

With that, Lin Xuan extinguished the fuel lamp and crawled into the tent.

Just as he was about to end the stream, a low growl suddenly came from outside!