Singapore has just been blessed with the birth of its first ever panda cub, which was born on Aug 14.
The birth was announced by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) on their Facebook page.
"WHO is the #littleone? We can’t keep it in anymore…
"We are absolutely thrilled to present you our giant #panda FAMILY! Yes, Kai Kai and Jia Jia just had a baby. Congratulations to the new parents and their animal care team!", Wildlife Reserves Singapore wrote in the caption of the video.
Jia Jia and Kai Kai are the parents of the newborn cub and they entered their seventh breeding season in April 2021.
Well cared for
A report on Mashable SEA said the WRS team of animal care experts and the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda had a breeding schedule for the pair in a bid to get them to breed naturally.
Alas, the plan failed, prompting the team to try out artificial insemination.
Luckily, it worked this time.
"In July, ultrasound scans showed a thickening of Jia Jia's cervix and some fluid in the uterine horns. We stayed hopeful for Jia Jia, while maintaining her ultrasound checks to monitor developments.
"Jia Jia's first pregnancy and birth of a cub is a significant milestone for us in the care of this threatened species in Singapore. The work continues now with supporting the first-time mother to raise her newborn cub,” said deputy chief executive and chief life sciences officer at WRS Cheng Wen-Haur.
To date, very little info is known about the cub such as its gender and name.
We are sure we will get to know them in due time.
Welcome to the world little one!