Rare Animal 'Giant Panda' Baby Born... First in Korea

One Female Born Between Aibao and Lebao on the Night of the 20th
16.5cm Tall, Weighing 197g, Both Mother and Baby Healthy
Everland Zoo Focuses Efforts on Panda Pregnancy and Birth

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] The world-renowned endangered species and beloved character of popular animation, the 'Giant Panda (hereafter Panda),' has been born for the first time in South Korea.

Everland announced on the 22nd that on the 20th, a baby panda was born from the only pair of pandas in the country: the female Aibao (愛寶, 7 years old) and the male Lubao (樂寶, 8 years old).

With an average lifespan of about 20 to 25 years, pandas are loved worldwide for their cute appearance, characterized by white fur with black patches around their eyes, ears, legs, and shoulders.

It is estimated that only about 1,800 pandas remain in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified them as a 'Vulnerable (VU)' species, highlighting their rarity. Apart from their native habitat in China, pandas live in 20 countries including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

◆First panda born in South Korea... Female measuring 16.5cm and weighing 197g

Aibao gave birth to a healthy female baby panda measuring 16.5cm and weighing 197g at 9:49 PM on the 20th, just an hour and a half after labor began. Everland reported that both the mother and baby panda are in good health.

The baby panda, born after Aibao and Lubao had lived at Everland for 1,601 days, is recorded as the first panda born in South Korea.

Aibao and Lubao arrived at Everland Panda World in March 2016 after flying approximately 2,400km from the panda base in Sichuan Province, China, and have since been loved by over 9.5 million visitors.

At that time, they were only 3 and 4 years old respectively, still young, but they have grown into healthy adults at Panda World, gradually raising expectations for pregnancy and birth since last year.

◆Pandas are very difficult to get pregnant and give birth... Fertile period only 3 days a year, born as premature infants requiring careful early health care

Pandas are known to be difficult animals to get pregnant and give birth. Their fertile period occurs only once a year, typically lasting just 1 to 3 days around March to April.

If mating is successful during this period, the pregnancy lasts about 4 months, with birth occurring around July to August. This is why most pandas worldwide have birthdays concentrated in this period.

Especially among bears, pandas give birth to relatively small offspring, born as premature infants weighing about 1/800 to 1/900 of the adult weight, requiring special early health care.

Moreover, due to their solitary lifestyle, pandas live apart and only meet during the breeding season, making the chances of successful mating even lower.

◆Dedicated team formed for panda pregnancy and birth, focusing on scientific analysis and expertise

Everland Zoo regularly swapped the rooms of Aibao and Lubao to help them get accustomed to each other's scent and provided nutritious grain-based meals to maintain their physical condition.

They also scientifically analyzed accumulated hormone change data from regular health checkups including blood and urine tests to select the optimal mating day with the highest chance of success, finally achieving natural mating of the panda couple at the end of March this year.

Due to the panda’s characteristic of giving birth to very small babies compared to the mother's weight (122kg), it was not possible to visually confirm pregnancy until close to delivery.

However, after noticing Aibao’s reduced appetite and increased sensitivity, a dedicated team of keepers and veterinarians was formed to continuously observe Aibao’s behavior and physical changes.

From early this month, as the due date approached, Aibao was moved from the outdoor enclosure to a specially prepared delivery room and placed under 24-hour monitoring. Many people worked behind the scenes to ensure the new life of the baby panda could come into the world safely.

◆Closed to the public for health reasons for the time being... Continuous updates on growth via SNS

Everland has prepared a special residence inside Panda World to ensure the baby panda grows healthily, and considering the baby’s health as the top priority, it will remain closed to the public for the time being.

According to panda experts and overseas cases from the United States and Japan, baby pandas are usually introduced to the public from about 5 to 6 months old, when they can walk well, consume bamboo, and have developed some immunity to adapt to the external environment.

Instead, until public opening, Everland plans to continuously share updates on the baby panda’s growth and status through official SNS channels such as Everland’s YouTube and blog, maintaining communication with customers.

Everland keeper Kang Cheolwon, in charge of the pandas, said, "I am very happy that Aibao and Lubao, who have lived together for over four years, have become parents. I hope the public can forget their tiring daily lives for a moment and receive hopeful energy from the news of the baby panda’s birth."

Everland plans to hold various customer events and promotions until the end of August to celebrate the birth of the baby panda.

From today, Everland’s official SNS channels such as YouTube and Instagram will also hold congratulatory comment and hashtag events, giving away panda 'Mom and Baby dolls' as souvenirs.