bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Sidney Leng

Staff at a zoo in China, which has successfully artificially bred its first endangered red panda, are now caring for the cub after it was rejected by its mother, Chinese media reports.
This is the first time that Yunnan Wildlife Zoo has successfully bred a red panda through artificial insemination, Chinanews.com. reported.

In the past, red pandas have been bred by the zoo, but the cubs have never survived.
The latest red panda cub, nicknamed “Chong Chong”, was born on June 16.
Fugitive red panda recovered by Chinese zoo after eight months on the run
At the time of its birth it measured less than 10cm long and weighed less than 300 grams.
Two weeks after its birth, the cub’s mother started to get lazy about feeding it, which led zookeepers to take over its feeding by themselves.
The article did not say whether the cub was male or female.

Zoo manager Li Lifen said red panda cubs often had very weak stomachs, which meant they needed special care.
Chong Chong has to be fed with milk and fruit seven times a day, Li said.
The zoo plans to return the cub to its mother when it is three months old, the report said.

Mothers of red panda cubs have been known to abandon their young if they become scared.
Red pandas – also known as lesser pandas – which are slightly larger than domestic cats, are found mainly in the jungles of China’s southern and southwestern areas as well as in the Eastern Himalayas.

Global conservation body WWF has classified them as endangered, with a total global population of less than 10,000.
In China, they are regarded as a Class II vulnerable species and protected by law.
Four wildlife smugglers sentenced for trading in wild red pandas in southwest China
As their habitats drops, the number of red pandas has declined sharply over the past decades.
In China, there are believed to be between 3,000 and 7,000 red pandas, the report said.


China’s marriage rebound: will more 2025 knots bring more baby bumps in 2026?

A loneliness crisis is the price China is paying for rapid modernisation

How old is Chinese civilisation? It really dates back 8,000 years, an archaeologist argues

China’s visa-free waivers spark Korean travel boom, underpin tourism revival

China society

Chinese zookeepers care for artificially bred red panda cub rejected by mother

Zookeepers in Yunnan are feeding the red panda cub with milk and fruit seven times a day. Photo: SCMP Pictures

=== NO ARCHIVE IMAGE === ATN. PANDA31. SCMP Pictures (UNDATED HANDOUT)

News

China

People & Culture