A captive born panda who has never seen a human face has celebrated his 1st birthday at Wolong Panda wild training base in China.

Little Tao Tao was born to his captive-bred mother Cao Cao last year. To prevent him from getting used to humans, since his birth staff have only ever approached him while wearing completely inconspicuous panda suits and have observed him and his mother from afar. As such they are hoping that he will adapt to life in the wild.

Since his birth Tao Tao has been learning all the behaviours pandas need in the wild, such as walking, climbing trees and looking for food. When he was six months old he and his mother were moved into a large mountainous area for more intensive wild habitat training. Tao Tao now weighs 25kg and is displaying wild panda habits, such as climbing trees and looking for food and water.

Images: Rex