Giant panda gives birth to third cub at Zoo Negara

KUALA LUMPUR: Giant panda Liang Liang gave birth to her third cub yesterday at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre (GPCC) in Zoo Negara, here.

The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) said the cub born at 8.30 pm on Monday is the third for Liang Liang and her partner Xing Xing since their arrival in Malaysia in 2014.

The first and second cubs, Nuan Nuan and Yi Yi, were born on Aug 18, 2015, and Jan 14, 2018, respectively.

"Currently, the gender of this baby panda is not known, as it is still under the care of its mother and cannot be approached. The Zoo Negara staff will continue to monitor Liang Liang and her cub for the next 24 hours," the statement reads.

Perhilitan said the birth of the third giant panda cub is another success of the Giant Panda Conservation Centre under the Giant Panda International Conservation Cooperation Agreement Programme inked between the governments of Malaysia and China in 2012.

Malaysia received Liang Liang and Xing Xing from the Chinese government on May 21, 2014 to symbolise the 40th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations. The pair will stay here on loan for 10 years.

-- BERNAMA