Chinese scientists recently had a chance to study a wild female panda bear with a newborn baby. She was a very loving mother. For 2 days, she never left her baby, not even to find something to eat! She would not let any other panda bears come near. She licked the baby constantly to keep it clean. Any smell might attract natural enemies that would try to eat the little panda. The mother hold her baby in her front paws much the way a human does. When it cried, she rocked it back and forth and gave it little comforting pats. The mother continued to care for the young bear for over two years. By that time, the panda no longer needed its mother for food. However, it stayed with her and learned about the way of the forest. Then, after two and a half years, the mother chased the chased the young bear away. It was time for her to have a new baby, and it was time for the young panda to be independent.