Taiwanese second giant panda cub to debut in media | Giant pandas

A second Taiwanese-born giant panda made her media debut on Monday, climbing over a wooden climbing frame and playing with sawdust to the sound of click cameras.

The puppy was born on June 28 as Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which were donated by China in 2008 to mark the then relationship between the two competitors.

Yuan Bao tries to climb.
Yuan Bao tries to climb. Photo: Hsu Tsun-Hsu / AFP / Getty Images

China usually only lends its pandas to foreign zoos, but gives Taiwan the breeding pair – whose names mean ‘reunion’ or ‘unity’.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has promised to one day bring the self-governing democratic island back into the herd, by force if necessary.

Yuan Bao, which in Chinese means ’round baby’, was introduced to about 150 reporters and invited guests to join her mother at the Taipei Zoo.

Yuan Bao and her mother Yuan Yuan during a media preview at Taipei Zoo.
Yuan Bao and her mother Yuan Yuan during a media preview at Taipei Zoo. Photo: Hsu Tsun-Hsu / AFP / Getty Images

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said the puppy had “grown well”.

She now weighs more than 13 kg (30 pounds), compared to 186 grams (6.5 ounces) at birth.

The zoo in Taiwan has had a spate of births this year, including a gorilla, koala, Malaysian tapir and pangolin.

Yuan Yuan gave birth in 2013 to a daughter, Yuan Zai, the first giant panda born in Taiwan. The family was the biggest attraction in the zoo.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are apparently just over 1,800 left in the wild.

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