Since panda births are such a rarity, some guardians were overcome by emotion and cried at the zoo, which is around 30 miles south of Brussels.
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A giant panda on loan to Belgium from China has given birth to a cub, a rare event for the endangered species, the Pairi Daiza zoo said on Thursday.
Hao Hao was artificially inseminated at the zoo in February with the genetic material of a male panda named Xing Hui. Hao Hao’s “probable” pregnancy was announced just two weeks ago, accompanied by caution about detecting the tiny foetus.
The cub weighed 171g and – as with all newborn giant pandas – was hairless and blind. The zoo cooperated with Chinese experts to treat the mother by artificial insemination.
The new panda cub reportedly brings the number of giant pandas remaining in the world to 1,864, and around 300 of those are living in captivity.
The mortality rate for newborn pandas is extremely high in their first year, so zoo officials say the hard work is far from over.
Phew! Hao Hao has a well-earned rest after giving birth. Previously, Austria and Spain have been credited with successful reproduction of the species.
At a press conference, Pairi Daiza animal park manager and main shareholder Eric Domb said: “All I can tell you is that it will be a Chinese name and it will evoke something poetic”.
Two pandas were born in zoos in China this year, foreign media reports.
Pandas struggle to breed in captivity, but artificial breeding techniques and better knowledge of their needs has seen an increase in births in recent years.
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The last successful birth in Europe was at Madrid three years ago.
