Shanghai Wildlife Park's First Giant Panda Birth

Shanghai has a new famous resident poised to capture the city’s heart. Shanghai Wildlife Park has confirmed the city’s first giant panda birth occurred on July 9, according to Shanghai Daily.

The adorable cub was born at 151 grams and 14.3 centimeters. She has since grown to 893.4 grams and 29 centimeters by the end of July. She is reportedly happy and enjoying special care that includes bamboo shoots imported from Zhejiang Province and the company of her mother, Guo Guo, who has mothered eight cubs including two pairs of twins.

The birth is a big boost in Shanghai’s attempts to establish a giant panda preserve following approval from the State Forestry Administration of China, with Beijing and Guangzhou also approved for sites.

There are plans to introduce the cub and Guo Guo to the public next month, although space will be limited and reservations required. In the meantime, the park is asking the public for name suggestions with popular recommendations including: Shenhua (which means the flower of Shanghai and is the name of a local CSL team), Huxiaopang (Shanghainese for ‘little chubby’), Youdunzi (‘deep-fried radish cake’) and Seyi (Shanghainese for ‘comfortable’).

[Image via Shanghai Daily]