BRUSSELS (AP) – A baby panda was born in Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo on Thursday just three months after Chinese experts artificially inseminated its mother Hao Hao.
Screaming seemingly well beyond the power of his 171 gram frame, the tiny pink male cub was tenderly cared for, washed and cradled by his mother in her black-and-white fur and carried around in her mouth.
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.
Still, zoo director Eric Domb had mixed feelings.
“It was very intense for us all. The utmost joy to see the birth,” Domb told RTL network. “It is also a big worry since the chances of survival of a panda are only one out of two in the first three months.”