Tiny Giant Panda Cub Born at Taipei Zoo
July 11, 2013
Taipei Zoo's Giant Panda Yuan Yuan gave birth to a little cub on July 6. The newborn is female, measuring six inches (15 cm) in length. She weighs 183.4 grams, about one 1000th of her mother's weight. The little cub had her first health examination soon after she was born. She is healthy and being hand-raised in a nursery incubator, using milk collected from her mother as well as artificial milk. At about three days old, the cub's umbilical cord fell off, leaving her with a tiny belly button (see the third photo)!
Yuan Yuan, a first time mother, has received dedicated postnatal care and has regained her appetite four days after the birth. She receives comforting massages, has a hot water bottle, and now eats bamboo leaves with some honey water.
See a video of the birth here:
Watch the newborn being bottle-fed here:
First-time mom, Yuan Yuan, gets some loving postnatal care:
See photos from the newborn cub's first medical checkup after the fold!