Lifestyle Pets Best Photos of the Day: 36 Giant Pandas Make Their Public Debut Together So far, the conservation center has welcomed 42 pandas in 2017, including 15 sets of twins By Kelli Bender Published on October 13, 2017 02:37 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Those aren’t stuffed animals strewn across a lawn — those fuzzy lumps are all real, live baby pandas saying hello to the world for the first time. It’s also a dream come true for any animal lover. These black-and-white bundles of joy are all residents of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, reports The Telegraph. VCG/Getty Each of the 36 panda cubs was born at the Sichuan Province-based conservation facility in 2017, so all of the adorable debutantes are under 1 year old, but vary in size and age. VCG/Getty Instead of introducing the pandas one by one, the center opted for making one huge good news blast by debuting all of the babies to the public at once. VCG/Getty During what will now be known as “the world’s greatest photo op,” the pandas played in the grass, resisted their keepers’ efforts to get them to all pose in one place and indulged in some oblivious, frolicking play. VCG/Getty While 36 panda babies seems like a lot, there are even more: In total, 42 giant panda cubs have been born at the center this year, but not all of the babies were big enough to meet their global fanbase. Out of the 42 pandas born at the center in 2017 so far, there have been 15 sets of twins. Can’t get enough of cats, dogs and other furry friends? Click here to get the cutest pet news and photos delivered directly to your inbox. These big numbers mean plenty of precious photos for us, and a new hope for the giant panda species as a whole. Each of these cubs helps strengthen the vulnerable panda population and has the potential of being reintroduced into the wild later in life.