The Taipei Zoo has plans for a reunion between giant panda mother Yuan Yuan and her cub. The zoo has give Yuan Yuan a faux panda smeared with her daughter’s feces. The mother panda picked up the imposter immediately, hugged it to her chest and began cleaning it. Whenever the staff gives Yuan Yuan an imposter, she cleans it and it is covered in her saliva.
The Taipei Zoo does this experiment to determine giant panda mother Yuan Yuan’s ability and willingness to care for her daughter.
Source: Taipei Zoo