Hello World! Baby Panda Makes His Debut at Zoo Atlanta

  • Share
  • Read Later

Photo courtesy of Zoo Atlanta

The only giant panda born in the United States this year has the whole world saying “awwww.”

Measuring one-foot long and weighing 2.2lbs, he’s smaller than a household cat and had journalists purring at his first public health check-up yesterday. As doctors listened to his heart beat, the cub wriggled around, and made a squawking sound as he rolled onto his back—an indication he was calling for his mother.

(See pictures of the National Zoo’s giant panda Tai Shan as he flies back to China.)

“His abdomen’s really round and full and that’s what we really like in a baby,” Dr. Hayley Murphy, director of veterinary services at Zoo Atlanta, told the Associated Press. “That just tells us he’s eating well and his abdomen’s full of milk.”

WATCH:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8tvKOYzw5c&w=450]

Following Chinese tradition, Zoo Atlanta won’t name the cub until he is 100 days old—giving his carers time to pick a name that matches his still developing personality. The Panda paparazzi will have to wait a bit longer to snap him. Zookeepers won’t release the cub into the public viewing area until he is strong enough to walk, which usually happens at four months.  For now, you can watch his every move on Zoo Atlanta’s Panda Cam, which streams live images Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm EST.

(See photos of Germany’s latest polar bear celebrity.)