Clare Edis
In an utterly heartwarming spectacle that’s captured the hearts of people all around the globe, a tiny, adorable baby panda experienced a moment of pure magic as it met its mother for the very first time. This remarkable reunion isn’t just a scene from the animal kingdom; it’s a living testament to the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child. So, let’s explore this extraordinary panda reunion that’s melting hearts all around the world.
Introducing Yuan Zai
Is there anything cuter than a baby panda? Not much! Baby Yuan Zai became Taipei’s newest resident when she was reunited with mother Yuan Yuan after a difficult first month. The way Yuan Yuan reacted to her tiny cub will melt your heart.
The arrival of a new baby panda is always an important event. Despite attempts to protect them, these rare and gentle creatures are threatened, with only 1500-2000 left in the wild. Read on to find out what makes Yuan Zai extra special.
Introducing Yuan Zai
Yuan Zai was the very first giant panda born in Taiwan. Her parents, Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan, had lived at Taipei Zoo since 2008. The experts at the zoo hoped that the two giant pandas would be able to breed. Their hopes were rewarded when Yuan Yuan gave birth to little Yuan Zai.
Pandas are a symbol of endangered wildlife around the world. In the 1980s, giant pandas were almost extinct in the wild. Only intensive conservation efforts have brought the giant panda back from the brink.
Conservation Efforts Were Tricky
Conservation efforts with pandas failed for a long time, as it appeared that in captivity, the species suddenly lost an interest in breeding. Concerted efforts including animal-grade medication to stimulate arousal and artificial insemination attempts were tried, but very little seemed to have an effect.
It wasn’t until scientists noticed similarities between American black bears – a species with a thriving natural population – and pandas that in-house conservation efforts seemed to turn around. They learned that the normal reproductive rate is one young panda every two years, which gives conservationists a goal to shoot for.
The Breeding Cycle of Pandas
Giant pandas reach maturity sometime between the ages of four and eight, and may remain viable for breeding up to the age of twenty. In the wild, pandas typically only live until the age of twenty, but in captivity they’ve been known to live until the age of thirty, increasing the viability of conservation efforts.
Conservation efforts are made more difficult by the fact that pandas breeding cycle is between March and May of every year, and it only occurs once a year. This means that if a breeding attempt during a female’s estrus is unsuccessful, it’s likely that scientists will have to wait a full year before attempting the breeding cycle again.
Twins, Oh My
Once a breeding cycle has successfully completed, though, the gestation period can be anywhere from 95 to 160 days. The variability in the pregnancy of pandas is due to the fact that a fertilized egg can linger in the reproductive system for some time before it attaches to the uterine wall, a unique feature of female pandas.
Another unique feature of panda pregnancies and births is the occurrence of twins. Giant pandas give birth to twins in approximately half of pregnancies. This is interesting due to the fact that twin pandas typically don’t survive to maturity in the wild. Female pandas don’t store fat to be able to sustain multiple cubs, so typically the weaker of the two babies will die in the wild.
Research Wins the Race
Breeding efforts have only been marginally successful throughout the history of panda conservation. When conservation efforts were first introduced in the 60’s, pandas were caged and kept separate in a misguided attempt to save their wild populations. Due to this, wild breeding severely suffered.
It wasn’t until 2009 that the first live birth from artificial insemination was produced. The cub was born on July 23 to an 11-year-old mom, and invigorated attempts to breed the species. Since then, more live births have occurred in captivity, including several rare triplet births, giving hope that panda will one day be as commonplace in China as black bears in America.
Two New Friends
Giant pandas are not native to the island of Taiwan. Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan were gifts from mainland China to Taipei. In exchange, Taipei Zoo presented mainland China with some other rare animals for their zoos. When Yuan Yuan fell pregnant, everyone at the zoo was very excited. Yuan Yuan’s baby would be the first panda born in Taiwan.
When a new baby panda arrives on the scene, it’s vital to keep the baby safe and give them the best possible start in life. A baby panda is very rare and must be protected. Sometimes that means making difficult choices.
A Sad Separation
Giant panda mothers are much bigger than their babies. The average weight of a newborn panda cub is only three and a half ounces, while adult females weigh around 200 pounds. Even though Yuan Zai was large for a new panda cub, she weighed less than six and a half ounces when she was born.
Because of their size difference, it’s all too easy for a first-time mother like Yuan Yuan to hurt her baby without meaning to. Sadly, that’s what happened. Although the injury to Yuan Zai’s leg was minor, her carers made the difficult decision to take Yuan Zai away from Yuan Yuan until she was a bit bigger.
Caring For Yuan Zai
Little Yuan Zai was placed in an incubator to keep her warm, while staff gave her round the clock care. She was able to drink her mother’s milk from a bottle and quickly recovered from her slight injury. Everyone adored the cute baby panda. She was the darling of the staff.
After a month, the zoo’s experts decided that Yuan Zai was big and healthy enough to be reunited with Yuan Yuan. The reintroduction was done very carefully. Staff feared that being apart for a month might cause Yuan Yuan to reject her cub.
Panda Preparations
First, Yuan Yuan was allowed to sniff some of Yuan Zai’s bedding to get familiar with her scent. Smell is a crucial sense for many animals, including pandas. Yuan Yuan seemed to know Yuan Zai’s scent and was very interested in the bedding!
Next, staff started bringing Yuan Zai to Yuan Yuan’s den for visits, letting her mother see and interact with her through a barrier. Yuan Yuan recognized her baby and seemed happy to see her. She reached out to touch Yuan Zai and licked her affectionately on the nose. It was clear that she knew her cub.
Reunited
Finally, the magical day came when the tiny panda cub could go back to her mom. Zoo staff gently carried Yuan Zai into her mother’s enclosure. Although her eyes were open and she had her black-and-white fur, Yuan Zai had a lot of growing to do. The tiny panda cub barely weighed four pounds.
Yuan Yuan accepted her immediately and wasted no time in scooping up her baby in a hug. She fed her daughter and then the two lay down for a nap. Staff then took Yuan Zai back to her incubator. Yuan Yuan got a special treat to reward her for being such a great mom: a bowl of honey.
Happy Families
Today, Yuan Zai is thriving. She’s a big and healthy adult panda with a younger sister called Yuan Bao. The pandas are celebrities in Taiwan, with visitors flocking to Taipei Zoo to see them. Their birthday parties are televised and people share in the celebrations.
It’s heartwarming to see Yuan Zai go from a tiny panda cub to the happy adult she is now. Pandas are so rare and special that watching one grow to adulthood is delightful. Maybe one day Yuan Zai will have a baby of her own to care for.
Why Are Giant Pandas So Rare?
Pandas are struggling for a number of reasons. Their natural habitat, bamboo forests, dwindled throughout the 20th century. This made it hard for pandas to find enough food or space to live.
Pandas have a very short space of time each year when they can meet and breed. Baby panda cubs are extremely vulnerable: they’re very small and rely on their mothers completely for the first few months. Baby pandas are some of the most helpless infant animals you can imagine.
Tiny and Vulnerable
At birth, panda cubs are blind, pink, and toothless. They nurse from their mothers six to fourteen times a day, and the times where the mother has to go out and hunt, the baby panda is left totally helpless. Baby pandas do not even begin to crawl until they’re almost three months old, making the early days of panda’s lives extremely critical for protection.
During this time, pandas are incredibly vulnerable to natural predators. Snow leopards, Asian Black bears, eagles, and feral dogs all pose a threat to the tiny animals when they’re unprotected by their mother. Sadly, though, other animals are not the only things that threaten a panda bear’s life.
Human Threats
Pandas are also threatened by humans in more direct ways. For a long time, they were hunted for their fur. Pandas were also captured to be sold to zoos or collectors. Even though it’s illegal, this still happens. Conservation efforts have helped the panda to recover. In 2016, the Chinese government announced that pandas were no longer endangered.
Zoos have stepped in to try and help save the panda. Sadly, pandas in captivity struggle to have babies. Panda pregnancies are rare and may not always result in healthy offspring. This makes it extra special when a new panda cub like Yuan Zai comes along.
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