A seven-year-old giant panda has given birth to a cub through natural mating at a breeding centre in China for the endangered species, becoming the first to be born this way in the country this year.
The giant panda gave birth to a cub yesterday at China Conservation and Research Centre for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP).
Keepers do not know which male fathered the cub, or the gender of the new addition. This is the mothers, Shuqin, first cub.
She showed strong maternal and nursing instincts, by immediately cuddling the cub and hiding it from keepers after her delivery.
The keepers could only judge that the cub was healthy as they heard it crying, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
This is the first panda cub born as a result of natural mating in the centre this year.
Luo Bo, deputy director of the centre, said Shuqin mated with two male pandas — Jinke and Xiangge — in March.
On June 19, their was a noticeable change to her appetite, a sign of pregnancy on pandas.
Keepers have monitored Shuqin since July 13. Most giant pandas in captivity are not good breeders.
China has developed supportive breeding techniques to sustain the critically endangered species.
From Agencies, Feature image courtesy indiatoday.in
