Nine sets of giant panda twins have been born in Sichuan province so far this year, boosting confidence in the survival of the endangered species.

Results of the fourth panda census, released last year by the State Forestry Administration, showed there were only 1,864 wild pandas and 375 captive ones worldwide at the end of 2013.

Pandas survive solely in six mountain ranges in China, five of which are in Sichuan.