TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Giant panda Yuan Zai (圓仔) celebrates her 10th birthday on Thursday (July 6) at Taipei Zoo with a special cake prepared by zookeepers.
The birthday cake was in the shape of Taipei 101 and made of ingredients such as pineapples, carrots, and kiwi fruits. A number of visitors in the Panda Pavilion serenaded Yuan Zai with the Happy Birthday song and professed their love for the giant panda, per China Times.
Yuan Zai is the first giant panda cub born in Taiwan. She was conceived via artificial insemination to parents Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓) who were gifted to Taiwan from China.
Zookeepers initially christened the panda cub Yuan Zai which reflected her mother’s name. Later, a public opinion poll concurred with the name, with 60% of respondents in agreement.
Yuan Zai looks out over the big crowd assembled for her birthday. (CNA photo)
Taipei Zoo Director Chen Yi-tsun (諶亦聰) took the opportunity to speak to the media about the difficulty of breeding giant pandas in captivity, noting they typically face three major challenges: the estrus cycle or being "in heat," mating and conception, and raising cubs.
Since the giant pandas Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓) came to Taiwan in December 2008, they underwent many artificial insemination cycles before Yuan Yuan was able to gave birth to the cub, Yuan Zai, on July 6, 2013.
At birth, Yuan Zai weighed just 183.4 grams. Chen said the small size of giant panda cubs makes care difficult, and Yuan Zai was accidentally injured on the day of her birth, requiring separation from her mother. She later underwent 34 days of artificial feeding before her care was entrusted to mother Yuan Yuan.
Whoops! Yuan Zai is ready to get into some cake. (CNA photo)
Taipei Zoo said giant panda conservation has been largely successful, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announcing that the giant pandas have been downgraded from an "endangered" species to "vulnerable" species in 2016.
However, giant pandas continue to face habitat destruction with zoos playing a key role in promoting conservation and awareness of this animal. Taipei Zoo believes Yuan Zai’s 10th birthday is a testament to the good care provided by zookeepers.
The zoo is also proud of Yuan Bao (圓寶) who turned three years old last Wednesday (June 28), born to parents Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan.
