Taiwan-born giant panda cub Yuanzai was reunited with her mother Yuan Yuan Aug. 13 following a 39-day separation, according to Taipei Zoo.
Yuanzai was removed from her mother’s care after being found to have a 2-centimeter wound on her groin. The puncture wound occurred after the cub was picked up by the inexperienced Yuan Yuan using her teeth.
“To prevent complications, we chose to care for Yuanzai until she had recovered and was healthy enough to be returned to her mother,” a zoo official said.
Once reunited, the cub was quickly picked up by Yuan Yuan and gently nursed in her arms, the official said, adding that after several attempts, Yuanzai began feeding from her mother, who promptly fell asleep.
To minimize the risk of any further injury to Yuanzai, the cub and mother will gradually be reintroduced so they can adapt to each other.
“Once the pair is comfortable, we will allow the cub to remain in the full-time care of Yuan Yuan,” the official said.
But this was not the first time for Yuanzai to see her mother since the accident. The pandas spent time in adjoining cages Aug. 6, with officials carefully observing the mother’s actions.
“The meeting showed us that Yuan Yuan is a panda with strong maternal instincts,” the official said. “It also demonstrated that our efforts to maintain her nursing status using a replica cub that smells and sounds just like Yuanzai have proven effective.”
These efforts included a Bluetooth speaker installed in the replica cub allowing Yuan Yuan to hear Yuanzai’s squeals and help keep her producing milk.
Yuanzai has received top-notch medical care at all times courtesy of a medical team comprising experts in the fields of anesthesia, animal science, cardiology, dentistry, radiation, skin, ultrasound and wild animal medicine from National Taiwan University Hospital, National Yang-Ming University and Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
According to the official, Yuanzai, which means cub of Yuan Yuan in the local Holo dialect, is only a temporary name for the panda.
“We invite the public to suggest names for the cub and will hold an online poll to decide the final choice,” the official said. “Full details of the process are available on the Taipei Zoo website.”
Yuanzai is the first panda born and bred in Taiwan. She was delivered July 6 at the Taipei Zoo and now weighs over 1.7 kilograms. (KML-JSM)
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