A panda born at the Taipei Zoo on Saturday is being fed regularly and is energetic, the zoo said yesterday in its daily update on the cub’s condition.
The cub, which is being kept in an incubator, was fed 1ml to 6.6ml of milk by zookeepers six times on Sunday and three times as of noon yesterday, using milk nursed from the cub’s mother, Yuan Yuan (圓圓), and 60ml of panda milk brought from China in 2011.
The newborn cries loudly whenever she is hungry or needs to poop, a sign that she is in good health, the zoo said.
Photo: EPA / Taipei City Zoo
Zoo personnel are working around the clock to take care of the baby, which they said is especially fragile during its first week of life.
The team is also trying to calm the nerves of the new mother, which has shown stress since the cub was taken from her and put in an incubator, eating little more than bamboo leaves and honey water.
The zoo gave Yuan Yuan a stuffed animal dressed with the cub’s feces to relieve her anxiety, but Yuan Yuan quickly discovered the ploy after hugging the fake cub.
Yuan Yuan and her mate, Tuan Tuan (團團), were given by China in late 2008.
The cub is the first one born to the two giant pandas.
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