Scientists Help Giant Pandas Raise TwinsAny human mother of twins knows (1) __________ at the same time. And it’s true for other mammals, too. “Nearly half of all giant panda births in zoos and research stations result in twins,” says Don Lindburg, (2) __________ at the San Diego Zoo.“Taking care of a tiny infant is such a difficult chore (3) __________,” Lindburg says.“Every newborn panda is important,” says Lindburg. “After giant pandas have grown to adulthood, some of the captive-born bears could be released into the mountainous wilds,” he says. Those (4) __________ will help rebuild China’s population of wild pandas.At China’s Wolong facility, caregivers are helping make the mother’s situation more “bear-able”. They gently remove one of the twins, keeping it warm and well fed for a week (5) _________.The twins continue to be swapped for months, (6) __________ and no longer need nursing. Bamboo, apples, carrots, and biscuits are added to the diet of mother’s milk when the cubs are about seven months old. By adulthood, the pandas will eat fresh stems, shoots and leaves of wild bamboo plants.
