FROM WOLONG — From Wolong

The first Giant Panda cub of 2006 was born July 22nd at the China Conservation & Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China. 

The cub, conceived by artificial insemination weighed approximately 160 grams (5.6 ounces)  according to the center’s head Zhang Hemin. The mother Bai Xue, which means “Snow White” and her daughter are both doing well. Bai Xue born a wild panda was found injured in the Qinling Mountains in 1993 and was taken to Wolong in 1995. She mothered five cubs in three births before escaping in 2001. She wandered back to the workers housing complex at Wolong in 2005.  “The birth, the first among captive giant pandas this year, has turned a celebrity know for her unruliness into a heroine once again,” said Zhang.

Suzanne Braden, Director of Pandas International cautions that even though the news of the cub's birth is “great,” pandas are still subject to a number of major difficulties, including successful mating, digestive problems and escalating habitat destruction.

Because the first months of a Panda’s life are critical, Pandas International is hosting a virtual baby shower for the new cub. Gifts requested include donations for special formula, bamboo, worming paste and Veterinary Pulse Oximeters. 

Click here to Donate Now or send a donation today to Pandas International PO Box 620335 Littleton, CO 80123.

In 2005, 19 panda cubs were born in captivity and survived. 16 at Wolong, one at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., one at the San Diego Zoo and one at the  Adventure World Zoo in Japan.  The captive born cubs are moved from their mother to the Panda Kindergarten when they are about 1 year old. See moms and kindergarten photos in the slide show above.