First-ever giant panda cub born in South Korean zoo

The cub’s mother, seven-year-old Ai Bao, conceived in March after mating with nine-year-old Le Bao at the theme park and gave birth on Monday night

Both parents arrived in South Korea from China on a 15-year loan in 2016 – seen as a symbol of goodwill aimed at fostering relations

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A handout photo provided by South Korea’s Everland theme park shows giant panda Ai Bao with her newborn cub. Photo: Handout / Everland

Published: 12:42pm, 23 Jul 2020Updated: 10:44pm, 23 Jul 2020

A giant panda has given birth to a cub at Everland amusement park in South Korea. The newborn is the first-ever baby panda to be born in the country.

The female cub’s mother, seven-year-old Ai Bao, conceived in March after mating with nine-year-old Le Bao at the theme park. She gave birth on Monday night, park operator Samsung Group said in a statement.

The pair of pandas – whose names translate as “Lovely Treasure and “Happy Treasure” – arrived in South Korea from China’s Sichuan province on a 15-year loan in 2016, as agreed by the two countries during a 2014 summit in Seoul attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“Ai Bao and her newborn are in good condition. The baby panda was born with a weight of 197 grams and a height of 16.5 centimetres,” the park said.

A handout photo provided by South Korea’s Everland theme park shows the newborn panda cub. Photo: Handout / Everland

Everland has made a special shelter for the cub, which will not be unveiled to the public until its immune system has fully developed in a few months’ time, the park said, while promising regular picture and video updates.

Giant pandas are one of the world’s most endangered species. Female pandas are able to conceive only once a year for one to three days in March to April, which makes reproduction difficult.