[youtube]LYhKPIxTwvo[/youtube] Lun Lun gives birth to her third babyA giant panda cub was born early Wednesday at Zoo Atlanta, according to a statement by the zoo. The cub is the first to be born in the United States for 2010.
The cub’s mother Lun Lun is caring for her baby normally, which weighs about four ounces and is roughly the size of a cell phone, the zoo said.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated on June 13 and her pregnancy was announced by the zoo last month.
Lun Lun has already had two cubs with mate Yang Yang, all via artificial insemination. The pair arrived together at the zoo from China in 1999.
“We are extremely excited about welcoming Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s third cub, and proud of the success of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda program,” said Dwight Lawson, deputy director, in a statement.
The as yet unnamed cub will make its public debut at the zoo in spring next year. In the meantime, the zoo will provide images online and at its panda conservation center using its “Pandacam.”
According to a statement by the zoo, the cub’s birth is “a significant achievement for global efforts to save a critically endangered species.”
In the wild, it is estimated less than 1,600 pandas remain, with a further 280 in captivity in zoos, including 11 in the United States.
The cub’s mother Lun Lun is caring for her baby normally, which weighs about four ounces and is roughly the size of a cell phone, the zoo said.
Lun Lun was artificially inseminated on June 13 and her pregnancy was announced by the zoo last month.
Lun Lun has already had two cubs with mate Yang Yang, all via artificial insemination. The pair arrived together at the zoo from China in 1999.
“We are extremely excited about welcoming Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s third cub, and proud of the success of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda program,” said Dwight Lawson, deputy director, in a statement.
The as yet unnamed cub will make its public debut at the zoo in spring next year. In the meantime, the zoo will provide images online and at its panda conservation center using its “Pandacam.”
According to a statement by the zoo, the cub’s birth is “a significant achievement for global efforts to save a critically endangered species.”
In the wild, it is estimated less than 1,600 pandas remain, with a further 280 in captivity in zoos, including 11 in the United States.
