Young pandas Ying Xue and Ba Xi were released into the wild at the Liziping Nature Reserve in Shimian county, Sichuan province, on Thursday, marking the second time that a pair of pandas have been released at the same time.

The cages were opened at 11:10 am by Li Chunliang, deputy director of the State Forestry Administration; Yan Weidong, deputy secretary-general of the Sichuan provincial government; and Han Xu, deputy director of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The captive-born pair, a male and female, both over 2 years old, are from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan.