China Held A ‘Panda Kindergarten’ And It Was As Adorable As You’re Imagining

To help highlight the fragility of its revered species, Chinese officials last weekend held a “panda kindergarten” where they showcased about a dozen baby giant pandas born in 2015.

To say the least, the event was an abundance of cuteness.

The event took place as part of Chengdu Research Base’s opening ceremonies and featured 13 of the 15 giant panda cubs born at the center this year. The panda cubs were highlighted as an example of a very successful year of breeding for the giant panda species, which is considered endangered.

The Smithsonian National Zoo notes that giant pandas have a “naturally slow breeding rate” that prevents populations “from recovering too quickly from illegal hunting, habitat loss, and other human-related causes of mortality.”

2015 was an incredibly successful year where 15 giant pandas were born, six of which are sets of twins.

Though giant pandas are considered endangered, their numbers have actually almost doubled since the 1970s, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In the 70’s, an estimated 1,000 pandas were thought to exist. Now, their numbers are estimated at 1,864 through 2014.

So, let’s applaud these conservation efforts and enjoy these adorable fluff balls.

Well, “Goodbye” for now.