Panda cub born in Madrid Zoo

MADRID, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Zoo Aquarium in Madrid has announced that its giant panda, Hua Zui Ba gave birth to a cub in the early hours of Friday morning.

Hua Zui Ba had been pregnant for 131 days and had been expected to give birth in the first week of September, while the zoo has not ruled out the possibility of her giving birth to a second cub, as happened three years ago, when her previous cubs, Po and De De were born.

The zoo explained that the club, which is Hua Zui Ba's third after Po and De De, has pink skin covered with a thin film of white fur.

Hua Zui Ba began to show signs that the birth could be imminent on Thursday afternoon and after retiring to her nest she gave birth at 03:45 in the morning, local time.

Now mother and son are under the constant attention of veterinary staff of the Madrid Zoo Aquarium, as well as two collaborators of the Chendu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Po and De De travelled to Chendu in southwestern China in May with the aim of eventually being returned to the wild in their natural habitat.

This is the fourth giant panda cub to be born in Madrid, following Po and De De and Chulin, who was born in September 1982 and the birth means there are now 10 giant pandas in Europe found in the zoos in Vienna of Austria, Beauval of France, Edinburgh of Britain and Madrid.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-08/30/c_132678527.htm