TRAINERS came up with the bright idea of dressing themselves in panda suits, smeared with panda urine, to trick a baby panda into acting 'wild'.

Tao Tao was born in 2010 panda wild training base in Wolong, southwest China's Sichuan Province, and has never seen a human face.

Although born in captivity keepers have always dressed in panda suits while around him in the hope that he would adapt to the wild.

When he was six months old he and his mother Cao Cao were moved into a large mountainous area for intensive wild habitat training.

When that was a success the pair were moved to an even wilder area where they had more freedom.

Over the last few years Tao Tao has been learning all the behaviours pandas need in the wild, such as walking, climbing trees and looking for food. Keepers now plan to release Tao Tao fully into the wild in November.

Following the success of the program there are now plans to release six more pregnant female pandas into semi wild enclosures.