NathanWhen you ask what the cutest animal would be in the whole wide world, most people would answer and say it is a panda. So, Pairi Daiza wildlife park in Belgium had been lucky enough to welcome a newborn cub, to be one of the cutest additions to the family since its inception. The cameras at the park were able to capture this magical moment that left everyone present teary-eyed.
Plight Of Pandas
Even though pandas are most definitely the cutest animals you would ever find on this earth, they are not free of trouble. In fact, they have been in the danger zone of being extinct for quite some time now. This problem that pandas are facing has been a concern for many conservationists and animal lovers. This problem has been going on for about 50 years now.
Losing Their Homes
The panda species has been on the verge of extinction for all these years. So in the year 2016, it was reported that there were only 1,864 giant pandas that were living on earth. These pandas have lost their place of dwelling mostly due to human involvement. They are left homeless, therefore, the chances of a growing population were not achievable.
Problem With Reproducing
So as reports have calculated, from all of the 1,864 bears that exist today, 300 of them actually live in zoos. There has been a huge problem faced by pandas as they do not usually reproduce when they are held in captivity. For some, it would appear that this really helps the pandas grow in numbers but it has proven to be extremely difficult for them to do so if they know they are confined.
Technological Advancements
But the advancement in technology has been of huge help in the reproduction of pandas. The artificial breeding methodology has been a key concept that has helped these bears to grown in population. The study and research conducted by zoologists who have found out the bare necessities of these bears kept in zoos have also helped greatly. This is what helped in the birthing of the cub in Pairi Daiza in 2016.
Help From Professionals And Experts
The Belgian zoo had prior experience with pandas and had already taken two of them on loan from China in 2014. The names of these two pandas are Hao Hao, a six-year-old female, and her male counterpart Xing Hui. Pairi Daiza had taken the help from professionals and experts from China to help in artificially inseminating Hao Hao after a few years of them arriving at the zoo.
Signs Of Pregnancy
After a while, Hao Hao slowly started to give out hints that she was in fact expecting. Her behavior slowly started to change and she was not acting like her normal self. The Pairi Daiza’s Tania Stroobant released an official statement revealing that the panda was “eating double her daily portion of bamboo. Then her interest in food fell dramatically, and she refused to leave her cave.”