Beijing Olympics' mascot panda gives birth to cub
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Xinhua, August 1, 2011
A female panda cub was born to 8-year-old panda "Maomao," upon whom the appearance of 2008 Beijing Olympics mascot "Jingjing" was based, on Monday in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
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Mao?Mao?gave birth to?a 170-gram cub at 5:07 a.m. Monday at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base. |
The 170-gram cub was born at 5:07 a.m. Monday at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base, just half an hour after her 8-year-old mother Maomao went into labor. Both the mother and her cub are in good health, the breeding center said in a statement.
The statement said the cub was born into a "sports family," referring not only to Maomao, but also to Maomao's own mother "Yaya," whose likeness was used in the creation of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games mascot "Panpan."
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. According to the State Forestry Administration, about 1,600 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of Sichuan Province, while more than 210 live in captivity.
The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base, established in 1987, is home to 98 captive-bred giant pandas.
