A giant panda from Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo gave birth to a healthy cub mid-last month and it was thereafter deemed a female. She was reportedly the zoo’s first newborn panda cub in more than five years, so the zoo was understandably excited about this spectacular event.
Image Credit: SankeiNews/YouTube
New footage of the cub has now been published on YouTube that shows the cub is doing well nearly one month after birth. Zoo officials are keeping up with regular health check-ups to ensure everything during the early stages of her life go smoothly.
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The latest data revealed that she weighed 607.9 grams and measured 23.4 centimeters long; that’s about four times heavier and almost two times longer than she was just after birth, indicating progressive growth and good health.
Barely having any fur, she’s pink and doesn’t quite look like a giant panda yet, but when she grows up, she’ll look just like her mommy. Nevertheless, some distinctive features like the black circles around the eyes, the black ears, and the black arms set against the white back and white head are starting to make her look more panda-like as she gets older.
Her eyes won’t open for another week or two, as this process typically takes 40 days after birth to occur.
In the care of Ueno Zoo, the giant panda infant will be in good hands, but unfortunately, the same can’t be said for all of those in the wild.
Related: The world's oldest captive giant panda has passed away
The species is considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) after it was downgraded from being considered “endangered.” Although the species made a slight comeback, their populations are threatened by persistent issues like climate change and habitat loss.
Source: AFP via Phys.org
