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Panda cubs at a Chinese zoo are being prepared for life in the wild - with the help of keepers in life-size panda costumes.

Video footage taken at the Wolong National Nature Reserve shows staff playing and cuddling baby pandas.

Staff at the reserve in Sichuan Province in southwestern China have to smear urine and faeces on their outfits to mask their human scent.

It is hoped the interaction mimics the normal relationship between a panda cub and its mother.

The pandas are due to be released from captivity and attachment to humans could limit their chances in the wild.